Hello, everyone. In this English episode（插曲）, we will be focusing on English conversation. Listening to English Conversation is an essential（必要的） part of improving your English language skills. It can help you improve your listening, speaking, and comprehension skills. Hey, Robin. How are you today?

  I'm good. Thanks for asking. What's on your mind? Well, I wanted to talk to you about something. I have a friend named Lily in our class. She's a really sweet girl, but she doesn't feel beautiful compared to other classmates.

  It's like she's always shy（羞怯的） to talk to others and hesitates（犹豫） to join in group activities. I see. That's a tough（坚韧的） situation, but, you know, beauty（美） is subjective. It's not just about how someone looks on the outside. It's also about their personality, their character, and their actions. I completely agree with you, Robin, but it's hard to convince（使确信） her of that.

  She's very hard on herself and doesn't feel like she measures（量） up to other people's standards（标准） of beauty（美）. I understand. Maybe we can help her see that she's beautiful in her own unique（唯一的） way. We can encourage（鼓励） her to focus on her strengths（ 体力） and talents（天才）. We can tell her how much we value（评价） her kindness, sense of humor（幽默）, and intelligence（智力）. That's a great idea.

  I think we can also help her build her confidence（信心） by including her in group activities and introducing her to new people. Sometimes all it takes is a little push（推） to get someone out of their shell（贝壳）. Definitely. And we can also remind（提醒） her that it's okay to be different. In fact, our differences are what make us interesting and special. We can celebrate her individuality（个性） and help her see that it's something to be proud（骄傲的） of.

  I love the way you think, Robin. You always know how to make me see things in a different light. I'm really grateful（感激的） to have you as a friend. Oh, thanks, Runika. I feel the same way. Friends are supposed to lift each other up, right?

  Exactly. And I think we can do that for Lily. With our support and encouragement（ 鼓励）, I'm sure she'll start to see herself in a better light. I have no doubt（怀疑） about that, Runika. Let's make a plan to include her more in our activities and show her how much we value her as a friend. You're right, Robin.

  It's amazing how a little bit of encouragement can go a long way in helping someone see their own worth（价值）. Exactly. And it's important to remember that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. We shouldn't be judging（判断） ourselves or others based（以…作基础） on their appearance. That's true. I think the media（媒体） and society at large can play a big role in shaping（形成） our perceptions（理解感知） of beauty（美）.

  It's important to be aware（知道的） of that and take steps to challenge（向…挑战） those norms（标准）. Absolutely（完全地）. We need to celebrate diversity（差异） and embrace（拥抱） individuality（个性）. I think that's something we can all work on, not just for ourselves, but for others as well. I completely agree with you, Robin. It's important to be kind（ 善良的） and supportive（支持的） of others, especially those who may be struggling（ 努力） with their self（自己）-esteem（尊重）.

  Yes, and we can also be good role models for others by practicing self-love and self-acceptance（接受） ourselves. When we value ourselves, we set（设置） an example for others to do the same. That's a great point, Robin. It's like the old saying goes, "You can't pour（灌） from an empty cup." We need to take care of ourselves first in order to be able to take care of others. Exactly.

  It's all about balance（平衡）. We need to find a way to prioritize both our own needs and the needs of others. I couldn't agree more. I feel like I've learned so much from this conversation, Robin. Thank you for being such an amazing friend. The feeling is mutual（相互的）, Ronika.

  I'm glad（高兴的） we can have these kinds of conversations and support each other through life's challenges（向…挑战）. That's what true friendship（友谊） is all about. Hey, Ronika. It's such a beautiful day today. It's perfect for a chat. You're right, Robin.

  I've been thinking about something lately（近来）. Have you noticed how people prioritize beauty when it comes to finding a partner? Yes, it's like society has set these beauty standards and people have to meet them to be considered attractive. Exactly. But beauty isn't everything. Sometimes beautiful girls can be arrogant（傲慢的） and they might have multiple（多重的） boyfriends at the same time.

  That's true. It's like they're playing with people's hearts. But you know what's amazing? Talent. Unlike（不象…） beauty（美）, it can't be taken away from you. Yes, talent is a gift that keeps on giving.

  Imagine having a partner who is both beautiful and talented（ 天才的）. That would be a winning combination（结合）. Absolutely. But sometimes less attractive people get overlooked（忽略）, which is unfair（ 不公平的）. They may not meet society's beauty standards, but they have so much more to offer. That's right.

  And speaking of beauty, some people go to great lengths（长度） to enhance（提高） their looks. Plastic surgery（外科）, for example. It's risky（危险的） and sometimes it doesn't turn out as expected. Yes, it's true. People should embrace their natural beauty instead of trying to change themselves. But you know what's even more beautiful?

  A confident（确信的） person who accepts their imperfections. That's spot（地点） on, Robin. Confidence is the key to beauty. And let's not forget the incredible women who are building their careers at the top level. It takes more than just beauty to lead a beautiful life. It takes hard work, intelligence, and determination（决心）.

  Absolutely. And finally, some people discriminate（歧视） against others based（以…作基础） on their skin color, which is unacceptable（不能接受的）. We should love everyone regardless（不顾一切地） of their appearance. We must remember that they didn't choose their looks. God did. Yes, we should celebrate beauty in all its forms while remembering that true beauty lies（躺） within（在……之内） us.

  It's about being kind, empathetic, and treating（对待） others with respect（尊敬）. Hey, Veronica. Have you ever heard about dowry（嫁妆）? Honestly（真诚地）, I'm not familiar（熟悉的） with that term. What does it mean? Well, dowry is when the bride（ 新娘）'s family provides money, goods, or property（财产） to the groom（马夫）'s family during a marriage（结婚）.

  It's a traditional practice in some societies. Ah, I see. I've come across the concept（概念） before, but I didn't know it was called dowry. Thanks for enlightening（启发） me. Unfortunately, dowry is still prevalent（普遍的） in some places, even though（ 虽然） it's illegal（[法] 非法的） in many countries. It can lead to problems and unfair treatment（待遇） of women.

  Oh, Robin, it's heartbreaking（悲伤或失望到难忍程度的） to witness（目击） the pain caused by dowry（嫁妆）-related pressure. Families should celebrate love during weddings, and they should celebrate love during weddings, not burden each other with financial（财政的） expectations（期待）. It's truly（真实地） disheartening to witness（目击） how some people resort（求助） to mental and physical torture when a girl's family can't meet their dowry（嫁妆） demands. Veronica, we've talked about the problem, but how can we solve it? What should a girl do when faced（向） with dowry（嫁妆） pressure（压力）? Robin, it's a tough situation, but there are steps she can take.

  First, she should communicate openly（不隐瞒地） with her family. They need to understand that love and respect matter more than material（重要的） possessions. If the groom's family insists（坚持） on dowry（嫁妆）, she can seek（寻找） legal（法律的） advice and know her rights, and most importantly, she should never compromise（妥协） her self（自己）-worth（价值）. Love should never come at the cost of her happiness（幸福） or well-being. Wise（ 聪明的） words, Veronica, and let's not forget the power of education. When girls are educated（教育） and financially（ 财政上） independent, they can stand up against dowry demands（ 要求）.

  Empowerment is key. Also, society needs to change its mindset. We should celebrate marriages based on love, not dowry transactions（办理）. Absolutely, Robin. Let's be advocates（提倡者） for change, encourage families to reject（拒绝） dowry（嫁妆）, support girls in pursuing（继续） their dreams, and create a world where love knows no price tag（标签）.