英语博客(A cup of English):Vaccines for Foxy.

Beginners.

Today, Foxy had an appointment with the vet¹ for vaccinations² and a general check-up. She is about eight months old, so she needed her second set of vaccinations. The vet also needed to see if her growth was normal and healthy. I put her in her cage, in the back of the car, and drove about ten minutes to the Animal Hospital of Wenatchee. It is a lovely building, brand new infact, that is right in the center of town. The owner had had a pet shop which sold many different kinds of pets, and their supplies. The owner's husband is a vet. Now, they have changed their business, and they deal with the medical needs of animals. When you walk in the building you see that it is all about animals, and very tastefully arranged. Their is a fish tank, huge books all about animals, a statue of St. Francis of Asisi, and accessories all around that have images of dogs. There is even a special greeter. A little, fluffy³ dog that belongs to the owners spends its days in the animal hospital. Every time someone new walks in, it comes up to you, has a look and a sniff⁴, checks out your pet, and then goes back behind the secretary's desk. It can't quite say,"Can I take your coat, sir? Please make yourself comfortable. The vet will see you shortly." But, it would be very fitting if it did. Anyway, we arrived on time and waited in the waiting area. Foxy was nervous, I think. She sniffed⁵, and sniffed. And her tail wasn't wagging at all. We comforted her and cuddled her, but still, she was not too happy about being there.

Grammar notes.

The preterite: sniff/ sniffed, to need/ needed, to be/ was/ were.

Exs:

The movie was very sad. The audience sniffed through most of it.

I needed to tell the truth. I also needed to know if it was safe to do so.

I was waiting at the bus stop for half an hour. Where were all the buses? Were they on strike?

Advanced.

 Poor Foxy had an ordeal⁶ today. It wasn't anything serious, but she thought it was. Talk about a nervous female! She whined⁷ all the way to the veterinary clinic. When she was inside the building, her tail was down and between her legs, a sure sign of being unhappy or scared. I had to keep a tight hold on her leash⁸ because she was a little out of control, pulling and wanting to get out. Eventually, the vet was ready to see her. She put her up on a table and examined her bones, and checked her heart, ears, and teeth. She gave Foxy the thumbs up for good health. And then it was time for her injections. I was so surprised that Foxy whined and made a lot of fuss. My other dog barely whined at all when she had her shots. But, Foxy is obviously much more sensitive. " Each dog is different, just like humans," said the vet. She had difficulty examining her paws also. The dog just wouldn't let her. She has been licking her paws for a couple of days, which could be a sign of injury. However, the vet ran her fingers over the surface and in between her toes, and found nothing. Perhaps, as she has been running, she has injured herself a little. But, she is recovering. All these things needed to be checked, and I was so glad that she was given a clean bill of health. It was a relief to get her home. She is not used to being away from our other dog, Rosie. So, she was happy to be reunited. Unfortunately for me, I had to hose out her cage when we got home. Nerves had got the best of her, and I had to wash out the consequences, if you know what I mean.

Grammar notes.

Vocabulary: an ordeal, a leash, a paw, a clean bill of health, to hose (off).

The strike was quite an ordeal. There was a lot of tension and bad feelings.

When I took the dog for a walk, the leash got tangled⁹ around her paws.

My grandmother had been really ill, but the doctor now gives her a clean bill of health.

Roll out the hose and turn the water on please. I have to hose off my children; they are covered in mud.

 

1 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

2 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

4 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

5 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

7 whined   

v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨

参考例句：

• The dog whined at the door, asking to be let out. 狗在门前嚎叫着要出去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted. 他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。 来自辞典例句

8 leash   

n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住

参考例句：

• I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
• The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。

9 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。