《新概念英语》中的“Puma at Large”（逃遁的美洲狮）一文原文及翻译如下：
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.
The hunt for the puma began in a small village where a woman picking blackberries saw 'a large cat' only five yards 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 occasionally the puma would come to the edge of a village during the night.
Several weeks later, however, the puma was seen up to ninety miles north of London. So it is possible that the animal could have swum across the river Thames, for big cats are excellent swimmers. The hunters remained hopeful that they would be able to track the creature down, but since then the puma has not been seen.
翻译： 美洲狮是一种体形似猫的大型动物，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。
搜寻美洲狮的工作是从一个小村庄开始的，在那里，一位正在采摘黑莓的妇女看到“一只大猫”，离她仅5码远。当她看见这只猫的时候，那只猫立刻就逃走了。专家证实，美洲狮非被逼得走投无路，是决不会袭击人类的。搜寻工作非常困难，因为常常是早晨在一个地方发现它的踪迹，晚上却在20英里外的另一个地方发现它的踪迹。无论它走到哪里，一路上总会留下一连串死鹿和像兔子之类的小动物的尸体，在许多地方还发现了爪印，有时在深夜，美洲狮还会窜到村庄附近。
可是，好几周过去了，伦敦以北90英里处却有人看到了这只美洲狮。因此，这只美洲狮有可能游过了泰晤士河，因为大型猫科动物都会游泳。猎人们仍抱有希望，相信能够找到这只美洲狮，但自那以后，美洲狮再也没有露面。
以上是对《新概念英语》中“Puma at Large”一文的原文及翻译，希望对您有所帮助。
