英语流行话题听力:Unit 10 美丽的裙子

Unit 10
　　A Beautiful Dress
　　My neighbor's eight-year-old daughter used to stay in the countryside, her native place. Recently her parents brought her to town to live with them. Wild and uneducated, she would swear or use dirty words when she was displeased. Sometimes she went so far as to roll on the ground, to the shock of all people around. Her parents tried to tame her by beating and kicking, only to result in more violent outbursts. Finally they became thoroughly disappointed with her.
　　One day their next-door neighbor, a retired woman teacher, gave the girl a snow-white dress, which was very beautiful. It immediately caught the girl's eyes and made them shine brightly.
　　The girl put on the dress and became quite another person. She no longer abused or hit others, even less rolled on the floor. She knew running wild was beneath her in such a beautiful dress. Since then the girl had been gentle, neat, and lovely.
　　The story set me thinking a lot. Perhaps everyone has a beautiful dress hidden somewhere in his or her heart. Only some people are not aware of it, forget it or abandon it. Beauty is a power force or weapon -- that's something unrealized by many of us. it can arouse fine qualities that humans are born with but have so far hidden somewhere. It has a soul-shaking influence that is indeed unmatched.