大学英语第五册第一单元.pdfVIP

The Lady or the Tiger? by Frank Stockton 1 Long ago there lived a semi-barbaric king who had a great imagination. One of his ideas was to build a big arena as an agent of justice where crime was punished or virtue re- warded. When a subject1 was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of an accused person would be decided in the king’s arena. 2 When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by the court, sat high up on his throne on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the arena. Directly opposite him on the other side were two doors, exactly alike and side by side. It was the duty and the privi- lege of the person on trial to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased. He was subject to no guidance or influence, only chance. If he opened one, there came out of it a cruel and hungry tiger, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as punishment for his guilt. But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came forth a lady, the most suitable to his age and station2 that the king could select from among his fair3 subjects; and to this lady he was immediately married as a reward for his innocence. It didn’t matter that he might possess a wife and family or that his affections might be engaged upon a lady of his own selection. The wedding took place immediately and in the arena. Bells rang, people shouted glad hurrahs, and the inno- cent man led his bride home. 3 This was the king’s method of administering justice, its fairness was obvious. The ac- cused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot. The institution4 was a very popular one. The element of uncertainty gave in