跟新概念学托福口语之（1） a puma at large

跟着新概念学托福口语，一直想动手做这件事，一直懒。那就从今天开始吧。对于基础不是那么好的同学，口语的输入很重要。他们说，读书破万卷，下笔如有神。那么同理，口语要说溜，肚里要有货。只有积累了一定的素材才能出口成章。所以背诵是种很好的方法。背诵的材料纷繁多种，新概念是经典。把经典背的滚瓜烂熟，转而融会贯通、举一反三，慢慢的所谓语感才会出来。不过怎么背诵，方法很重要。我很早以前背过也教过，老实说，已经忘的七七八八了。所以现在准备从头再背一遍，每几天一篇（不知道能坚持多久，接受群众监督-_-!），有兴趣的人可以跟着我一起，我们都加油！相信我，这对于提高英语能力非常有用，坚持就是胜利：）

方法：

先试着把以下中文翻译成英文，如果程度较好可以直接口译，否则请用笔头写下来。碰到有些句子你会觉得很恶心，举步维艰，很想放弃，但一定要坚持，一定要翻译出来，不管如何腻心，至少把句子说/写完。

美洲狮是一种体形似猫的大动物，产于美洲。当伦敦动物园接到报告说，在伦敦以南45英里处发现一只美洲狮时，这些报告并没有受到重视。可是，随着证据越来越多，动物园的专家们感到有必要进行一番调查，因为凡是声称见到过美洲狮的人们所描述的情况竟是出奇地相似。

大部分人的第一版可能是：

1. 产于美洲：produced in America
   
2. 当伦敦动物园接到报告：when the London Zoo got the report
   
3. 随着证据越来越多：as the evidence becomes more and more (或者上过我的大课的学生：with an increasing amount of evidence)
   
4. 感到有必要进行一番调查：feel it necessary to carry out an investigation/research
   

ok，接着我们来看英语原文：

Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously. However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate, for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.

对比来看：

1. 不要看到“产/源”，就机械的翻译成为produce或originate。word-to-word translation很容易造成chinglish。永远记住：语言是为了表达意思而非文字符号。

• 托福口语Q2：Do you like to work in the office or at home?
  

回答：我喜欢在办公室上班，因为这样容易集中注意力。SOHO族源于西方社会，在亚洲特别像中国这类国家还不多见。

Response:I'd like to work in the office, since it's easier for me to concentrate attention. Soho is more frequently found in western countries while it's still a rare sight in Asia especially in China. 

2. 当某人接到消息，大多数人都是按照中文的顺序，以“某人”为主语；其实为何不试试用原文中的宾语“消息”做主语呢，另有一番“意料之外，不期而至”的意味。所以要说地道的英语，不仅要学会用地道的词，还有地道的顺序：）

• 托福口语Q1：describe a moment when you feel disappointed.
  

回答：当我接到消息，说我无法去美国读书时，我放声大哭。

Response:When the news came to me that I missed the opportunity to further my education in US, I can't help bursting into cry. 

3. 越来越多的表达方法实在太多了，除了more and more, the number increases, an increasing number of之外，又多了一个begin to accumulate。

• 托福口语Q2：do you prefer to save money or spend it off?
  

回答：我喜欢攒钱，因为钱越攒越多然后我可以做很多有意义的事。

Response: I prefer saving money. As money begins to accumulate probably I can establish a foundation in the future and more people can get financial aid.

4. obiligation是义务，obliged to do有义务做某事，即必须做某事。

• 托福口语Q2：do you agree or disagree: students should participate in class discussion
  

回答：我认为学生不应该参与课堂讨论，因为课堂内学生必须认真听讲，而不是自由交谈

Response: Personally I don't think students should take part in class discussion for it is widely agreed that students are obliged to listen to teacher's instruction carefullly instead of talking freely with each other.

以上我们学到非常实用的四个表达方法，也许粗看上去不美，但一经对比就发现微妙之处。很多时候，只有经过对比你才能看到它/他/她的优点，人如此，语言也是一样：）再用同样的方法进行第二段。

翻译以下中文：

搜寻美洲狮的工作是从一座小村庄开始的。那里的一位妇女在采摘黑莓时的看见“一只大猫”，离她仅5码远，她刚看见它，它就立刻逃走了。专家证实，美洲狮非被逼得走投无路，是决不会伤人的。事实上搜寻工作很困难，因为常常是早晨在甲地发现那只美洲狮，晚上却在20英里外的乙地发现它的踪迹。无论它走哪儿，一路上总会留下一串死鹿及死兔子之类的小动物，在许多地方看见爪印，灌木丛中发现了粘在上面的美洲狮毛。有人抱怨说夜里听见“像猫一样的叫声”；一位商人去钓鱼，看见那只美洲狮在树上。专家们如今已经完全肯定那只动物就是美洲狮，但它是从哪儿来的呢？由于全国动物园没有一家报告丢了美洲狮，因此那只美洲狮一定是某位私人收藏豢养的，不知怎么设法逃出来了。搜寻工作进行了好几个星期，但始终未能逮住那只美洲狮。想到在宁静的乡村里有一头危险的野兽继续逍遥流窜，真令人担心。

再将你的译文与以下原文进行对比，发现它的精彩了吗？

The hunt for the puma began in a small village where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a large cat' only five yards away from her. It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered. The search proved difficult, for the puma was often observed at one place in the morning and at another place twenty miles away in the evening. Wherever it went, it left behind it a trail of dead deer and small animals like rabbits. Paw prints were seen in a number of places and puma fur was found clinging to bushes. Several people complained of "cat-like noises' at night and a businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree. The experts were now fully convinced that the animal was a puma, but where had it come from? As no pumas had been reported missing from any zoo in the country, this one must have been in the possession of a private collector and somehow managed to escape. The hunt went on for several weeks, but the puma was not caught. It is disturbing to think that a dangerous wild animal is still at large in the quiet countryside.

最后，跟着录音反复模仿、朗读、背诵！直到你能几乎跟上录音的节奏，同步背诵为止！那才算是真的背熟了！！

本文为新概念3第1课，课文文本和音频链接：http://www.kekenet.com/nce/4793.shtml