A Visit to a Dentist

“Once bitten twice shy” is an old adage. In my case, it

(1)______________________. I was very mischievous as a
young boy. I (2)______________________ on people. I also
liked to chase cats and used a hand-made catapult to shoot at
birds on the trees. My parents (3)______________________
my behaviour and (4)______________________ me for the
mischief I caused. I (5)______________________ my father
from time to time. However, I (6)______________________
until this incident.
I had just finished lunch at home and I
(7)______________________. My brothers and sisters, all of
them older than I, had not returned home from school. I
decided to walk around the neighbourhood and I
(8)______________________.
Soon, I came to Mr. Lingam’s house. His pet dog, a mini
Schnauzer, (9)_______________________ outside his house.
I looked around and (10)______________________. I
decided to (11)______________________ and picked a few
small pebbles from the ground and aimed at the dog. A few of
the pebbles hit the poor dog and it began to
(12)______________________. Eventually, the dog’s anger
(13)______________ and it (14)_______________________
while it (15)______________________ to free itself. I
laughed at the dog, (16)______________________.
Suddenly, the rope that secured the dog snapped and the
dog (17)______________________. With a few powerful
strides the dog was on me. Its teeth
(18)_______________________. I
(19)_______________________ while falling to the ground.
Luckily, my screams brought Mr. Lingam running out of
the house and he managed to free the dog’s teeth from my
calf. He brought the dog into his house and quickly brought
me to the clinic. The doctor gave me an injection and
(20)______________________.
I (21)______________________ to the doctor and Mr.
Lingam. The doctor (22)______________________ and
asked me to be kind and considerate to all creatures in future.
I learnt my lesson that day. I have since stopped playing
pranks and (23)______________________.
became a literal truth 成为事实
began growling and barking fiercely at me 开始对我咆哮和吠
being needlessly cruel to helpless creatures 不必要地对无助的生物残忍
brought along my trusty catapult 带着我的弹弓
chided me for being cruel to a helpless animal 责骂我对无助的动物残忍
constantly berated 不断地责备
did not approve of 不赞同
did not mend my ways 没有改掉我的方式
dressed the wound 清洗伤口
enjoyed playing pranks and practical jokes 享受恶作剧
feeling amused at my cruel deed 对于我残忍的作为感到好笑
howl and yelp in pain 因疼痛的嚎叫
make good use of my catapult 好好利用我的弹弓
related the incident 叙述那事件
sank into the flesh of my calf 进入我的小腿
saw that no one was in sight 看到没人在附近
screamed in pain and fright 痛和害怕的喊
strained against the ropes 用力拉扯绳子
was aroused 被激起
was bored to death 很无聊
was even given a good thrashing from 甚至被痛打一顿
was free from its bonds 摆脱它的捆绑
was tied to a post 被绑在柱子
Compositions
I had a terrible toothache that night. I took a
couple of Panadol tablets but they were of little use
as the relief was short-lived and the pain returned
with greater intensity.
I tried rinsing and gurgling with Listerine but
that was no help either. I could not sleep a wink
that night as the toothache also caused the left side
of my face and head to throb with pain.
When morning came, I took a brief shower and
rushed to the dentist. There were a couple of
patients before me and I had to wait for my turn. I
registered at the counter and took a seat near the
dental surgery room. I took a magazine and flipped
its pages but trying to read was out of the question.
The words simply did not register. All I felt was
the excruciating pain. I closed my eyes and tried to
concentrate on the soft music being played over the
speakers hoping that it would distract me from the
pain I felt. The pain remained.
Almost an hour later, my name was called. I
stood up and walked slowly into the surgery. I
noticed the reclining chair fitted with all the usual
dental equipment, the dental drill, the syringes, the
dental pliers and a host of other gadgets which
names I do not even know. The dentist asked me
what was wrong and I told him of my toothache.
He then reclined my chair while asking me to lie
down.
“Open your mouth wide and relax,” the dentist
ordered. I did as was told and he peered into my
mouth with the aid of a small mirror on the end of
a stick. After the examination, he shook his head
and told me that the tooth cannot be saved and had
to be extracted. The dentist then filled a
hypodermic syringe with a colourless liquid. He
told me that it was Novocain, an anaesthetic, and
he would be injecting it into my gums to numb the
area where the extraction would be done.
Shortly I felt the prick of the needle and then in
seconds, my toothache was gone and 1 felt the
numbness in my gums. The dentist was very
skillful and soon he had painlessly extracted my
tooth and put a wad of cotton on the wound.
I got up from the chair and thanked the doctor as
best as 1 could for my gums were still numb and
there was a wad of cotton in my mouth. I left the
surgery and paid the fees at the counter. Then,
feeling much better than when I had stepped into
the clinic, I walked towards home.