keannu
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- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
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- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Korean
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- South Korea
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- South Korea
Do these two underlined sentences mean "habitual acts" in the past or "presumption"? It's confusing. If it's a habitual act, "he" would represent the whole criminals, otherwise, "he" would be a specific person. I think there are possibilities for both, but I lean toward "presumption".
p7)Once upon a time there lived a king who had some strange ideas about how to rule his kingdom. One of his plans was to build a stadium for the entertainment of his people. Instead of sporting events, though, he presented criminal trials. People would come to see the guilty punished and the innocent rewarded.
When a person was charged with a crime, notice was given to the public that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the stadium. When all the people had gathered in the stands, the king, sitting high up on his throne, gave a signal. A door to the arena opened and the person on trial stepped out in front of the crowd. Directly in front of the accused were two doors that looked exactly the same.
The person on trial was required to open one of the two doors. He could open either door. He was given no direction or no influence, other than that of a fair chance. Behind one of the doors was a fierce tiger. If he opened that door, the tiger would spring upon him and tear him to pieces as punishment for his crime. The fact that he chose that door was a sign of his guilt. Behind the other door was a beautiful lady. If he chose that door, it would be a sign of his innocence and he would be allowed to marry her, then and there.
This system of criminal justice was popular among the king's subjects. When the people gathered to see a trial, they would not know whether they would witness a cruel punishment or a happy wedding. This sense of uncertainty became the key source of entertainment.
p7)Once upon a time there lived a king who had some strange ideas about how to rule his kingdom. One of his plans was to build a stadium for the entertainment of his people. Instead of sporting events, though, he presented criminal trials. People would come to see the guilty punished and the innocent rewarded.
When a person was charged with a crime, notice was given to the public that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the stadium. When all the people had gathered in the stands, the king, sitting high up on his throne, gave a signal. A door to the arena opened and the person on trial stepped out in front of the crowd. Directly in front of the accused were two doors that looked exactly the same.
The person on trial was required to open one of the two doors. He could open either door. He was given no direction or no influence, other than that of a fair chance. Behind one of the doors was a fierce tiger. If he opened that door, the tiger would spring upon him and tear him to pieces as punishment for his crime. The fact that he chose that door was a sign of his guilt. Behind the other door was a beautiful lady. If he chose that door, it would be a sign of his innocence and he would be allowed to marry her, then and there.
This system of criminal justice was popular among the king's subjects. When the people gathered to see a trial, they would not know whether they would witness a cruel punishment or a happy wedding. This sense of uncertainty became the key source of entertainment.
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