Shadowing Practice: RE3 Unit 2A - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Track 3.
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Reading 2A What is beauty?
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The search for beauty spans centuries and continents.
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Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup.
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On the other side of the globe,
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the ancient Maya of Central America considered crossed eyes beautiful and hung little balls between children's eyes to develop this look.
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In 18th century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs of long white hair to make themselves attractive.
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In cultures throughout the world, people have gone to extreme lengths to achieve beauty.
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Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.
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According to a recent report, one out of three consumers globally say they are spending more money on beauty and health care products than ever before.
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Worldwide, sales of makeup, dieting, hair and skin care products, as well as gym memberships and cosmetic surgery,
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generate billions of dollars every year.
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And there is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive.
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Beauty is power.
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Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are perceived as friendlier.
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But what exactly is beauty?
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Trying to define it is difficult, and yet we know it when we see it.
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Or so we think.
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Beauty is health, says one psychologist.
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It's a billboard saying, I'm healthy.
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I can pass on your genes.
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And our awareness of it may start at a very early age.
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In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs.
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The faces in the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students.
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In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
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The idea that even babies judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers.
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In studies done by psychologists,
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such as Victor Johnston at New Mexico State University and David Perrette at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland,
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men regularly showed a preference for women with certain features, larger eyes, clear skin, fuller lips,
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and a smaller nose and chin.
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Another study suggests that women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist.
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According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits, the full lips, clear skin,
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strong shoulders, equal health, and genetic well-being.
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In other words, it's a fundamental part of human nature to look for these qualities in a mate.
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Not everyone agrees with this notion, however.
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Our hardwiredness can be altered by all sorts of expectations, predominantly cultural, says C.
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Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan.
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What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another.
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Look in most Western fashion magazines, for example, and the women on the pages are thin.
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But is this the perfect body type for women worldwide?
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Douglas Yu, a biologist from Great Britain, and Glenn Shepard, an anthropologist at the University of California at Berkeley,
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say no. For them, what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world.
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Ewan Shepard found in one study,
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for example, that native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded as overweight in western cultures.
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Take another example.
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In every culture, one's hairstyle sends a clear message.
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In the huli culture of Papua New Guinea, men grow their hair long as a symbol of health and strength.
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boys in this culture learn from a young age to style and decorate their hair,
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a behavior more commonly associated with the opposite gender in many cultures.
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It is also the men in this culture who are the objects of beauty.
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For certain festivals and celebrations, men dress up and paint their faces.
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The more colorful a man is, the more masculine and attractive he is considered.
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For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives,
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but it is extremely difficult to define exactly what makes one person attractive to another.
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Although there do seem to be certain physical traits that are considered universally appealing,
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it is also true that beauty does not always conform to a single, uniform standard.
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In the end, beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.
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Who Will Benefit from This Video?

This video is perfect for intermediate English learners eager to expand their vocabulary, explore cultural topics, and practice shadow speak—repeating phrases aloud to mimic rhythm and pronunciation. Whether you’re aiming to improve conversational skills or understand global perspectives on beauty, the engaging content and clear narration make it ideal for english speaking practice. It’s also great for those using a shadowing site to refine their accent, as the slow, deliberate pace lets you follow along easily.

Words & Idioms Worth Stealing

The video is packed with standout phrases to add to your toolkit. Here are a few to note:

  • Spans centuries and continents: Covers a wide range of time and places. Example: "Her love for folk music spans centuries and continents."
  • Gone to extreme lengths: Done something very drastic. Example: "He went to extreme lengths to prepare for the marathon."
  • Hardwired: Innate or deeply ingrained. Example: "Humans are hardwired to seek connection."
  • Subjective: Based on personal opinion. Example: "Art is subjective—what one person loves, another might hate."

How to Get the Accent Right

To master the pronunciation in this video, focus on two key areas. First, stress in multi-syllabic words like "anthropologist" (an-thro-POL-o-gist) and "fundamental" (fun-DA-men-tal). Listen closely to where the speaker emphasizes syllables—this will make your speech sound more natural. Second, intonation in questions: notice how the speaker’s voice rises slightly when posing ideas like, "But what exactly is beauty?" Practice repeating these lines using a shadowspeak approach—pause, replay, and mirror the tone. The video’s clear, conversational style makes it a great resource for honing these skills, whether you’re using it alone or with a shadowing site to track progress.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →