The Reading / Listening - Deepfake - Level 0

A technique called deepfake is worrying people. It can create fake news and trick people. The software replaces the face of a talking president or movie star with a user's face. The result is a fake video. People are worried the technology will be used to trick people in elections.

A new deepfake app called Zao has gone viral in China. A Twitter user posted many Zao videos of himself in famous TV and movie scenes. He looks like the main actor in the movies The Hulk, Titanic, and in the TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Only people with a Chinese phone number can download the app.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Deepfake - Level 1,  Deepfake - Level 2   or  Deepfake - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.sciencealert.com/disturbing-deepfake-app-lets-you-convincingly-superimpose-your-face-onto-celebrities
  • https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9850586/deepfake-app-tv-scenes-face/
  • https://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/deepfake-app-puts-your-face-19171373


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A technique called
  2. It can create fake
  3. The software replaces
  4. movie
  5. The result is a fake
  6. People are
  7. the technology will
  8. trick people
  1. star
  2. be used
  3. news
  4. in elections
  5. deepfake
  6. video
  7. the face
  8. worried

Paragraph 2

  1. Zao has gone
  2. A Twitter
  3. videos of
  4. in famous TV and movie
  5. the main
  6. in the TV
  7. people with
  8. download the
  1. himself
  2. app
  3. scenes
  4. a Chinese phone number
  5. user
  6. viral in China
  7. actor in the movies
  8. fantasy drama

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A technique called deepfake (1) ___________________. It can create fake (2) ___________________ people. The software replaces (3) ___________________ a talking president or movie (4) ___________________ user's face. The result is a fake video. People (5) ___________________ technology will be used to trick (6) ___________________.

A (7) ___________________ called Zao has gone viral in China. A Twitter (8) ___________________ Zao videos of himself in famous TV (9) ___________________. He looks like the (10) ___________________ the movies The Hulk, Titanic, and in the (11) ___________________ Game of Thrones. Only people with a Chinese phone number (12) ___________________ app.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Atechniquecalleddeepfakeisworryingpeople.Itcancreatefakenewsa
ndtrickpeople.Thesoftwarereplacesthefaceofatalkingpresidentormo
viestarwithauser'sface.Theresultisafakevideo.Peopleareworriedthe
technologywillbeusedtotrickpeopleinelections.Anewdeepfakeappca
lledZaohasgoneviralinChina.ATwitteruserpostedmanyZaovideosofh
imselfinfamousTVandmoviescenes.Helookslikethemainactorinthem
oviesTheHulk,Titanic,andintheTVfantasydramaGameofThrones.Onl
ypeoplewithaChinesephonenumbercandownloadtheapp.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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