full transcript
From the Ted Talk by Conor Heffernan: The treadmill's dark and twisted past
Unscramble the Blue Letters
The constant thud underneath your feet, the constrained space, and the monotony of going nowhere fast. It feles like hours have gone by, but it's only been eleven minutes, and you wonder, "Why am I torturing myself? This thing has got to be considered a cruel and unusual punishment.".
Actually, that's exactly what it is, or was. You see, in the 1800s, tdlrielams were created to punish English prisoners.
At the time, the enlsgih prosin system was amlsablyy bad. Execution and deportation were often the punishments of choice, and those who were locked away faced hours of solitude in filthy cells. So social movements led by religious groups, prhlnoeaiphtis, and celebrities, like Charles dcnekis, shguot to change these dire conditions and help reform the prisoners.
Open Cloze
The constant thud underneath your feet, the constrained space, and the monotony of going nowhere fast. It _____ like hours have gone by, but it's only been eleven minutes, and you wonder, "Why am I torturing myself? This thing has got to be considered a cruel and unusual punishment.".
Actually, that's exactly what it is, or was. You see, in the 1800s, __________ were created to punish English prisoners.
At the time, the _______ ______ system was _________ bad. Execution and deportation were often the punishments of choice, and those who were locked away faced hours of solitude in filthy cells. So social movements led by religious groups, ______________, and celebrities, like Charles _______, ______ to change these dire conditions and help reform the prisoners.
Solution
- treadmills
- feels
- prison
- dickens
- sought
- abysmally
- philanthropies
- english
Original Text
The constant thud underneath your feet, the constrained space, and the monotony of going nowhere fast. It feels like hours have gone by, but it's only been eleven minutes, and you wonder, "Why am I torturing myself? This thing has got to be considered a cruel and unusual punishment.".
Actually, that's exactly what it is, or was. You see, in the 1800s, treadmills were created to punish English prisoners.
At the time, the English prison system was abysmally bad. Execution and deportation were often the punishments of choice, and those who were locked away faced hours of solitude in filthy cells. So social movements led by religious groups, philanthropies, and celebrities, like Charles Dickens, sought to change these dire conditions and help reform the prisoners.
Frequently Occurring Word Combinations
Important Words
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