一、听力练习
1.
A. James Earl Jones' death has led to a debate about the future of AI in acting.
B. The use of AI to recreate voices in entertainment has sparked both interest and concern.
C. Unionized video game performers have successfully negotiated AI agreements.
D. The popularity of Disney+ shows has increased due to AI-generated voices.
2.
A. They were opposed to the use of AI in the entertainment industry.
B. They demanded higher wages for their performances.
C. They could not agree on AI protections with industry leaders.
D. They wanted to stop the use of AI in all media platforms.
3.
A. His original voice was used without any modifications.
B. His voice was replaced by another actor's voice.
C. His voice was recreated using AI technology.
D. His voice was not featured in the show at all.
二、听力文本
During his more than 60-year acting career, James Earl Jones' voice became a star of its own. Jones died this week at the age of 93. One of Jones' career decisions continues to be an issue of debate: his permission to let artificial intelligence (AI) reproduce his performances as Darth Vader for new projects. Skywalker Sound and Ukrainian software company Respeecher used AI to recreate Jones' Darth Vader for the 2022 show Obi-Wan Kenobi. The show appears on the streaming service Disney+. The voice of actor Mark Hamill was also “de-aged” using Respeecher. Hamill played Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars movie. His AI-manufactured voice was used in the series' television show The Mandalorian. Disney+ launched the show in 2019. Voice actors say they fear AI could reduce the number of jobs because the technology can reproduce one performance into many. The concern led American unionized video game performers to go on strike in July. For some observers, Jones' decision to permit AI to reproduce his voice raises questions about voice acting as an art. But the decision also could help develop AI agreements that fairly pay actors for AI-based performances. Hollywood's video game performers called for a strike after more than 18 months of negotiations over a new interactive media agreement with industry leaders. The negotiators could not reach an agreement on artificial intelligence protections. Members of the union have said they are not opposed to AI. They say they are worried, however, that technology could replace them. Concerns over such use of AI were among the reasons that film and television workers went on strike last year. The work stoppages went on for four months.
Question 1: What is the main idea of the news report?
Question 2: Why did unionized video game performers go on strike in July?
Question 3: What role did James Earl Jones' voice play in the 2022 show Obi-Wan Kenobi?
三、重点词汇
1. reproduce: to produce a copy of something, or to be copied in a production process 复制;翻印;复写
四、背景知识
据好莱坞资讯发布官方微博@守望好莱坞 消息，美国传奇演员詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯于当地时间9月9日在美国纽约州达奇斯县的家中安详去世，享年93岁。据其经纪人透露，当时，家人陪伴在他身边。琼斯曾出演了《拳王奋斗史》《奇爱博士》《沙地传奇》《美国之旅》《猎杀红色十月号》等80多部电影。在辉煌的职业生涯中曾获得两项艾美奖、一项金球奖、一项格莱美奖。他还获得了奥斯卡荣誉奖和托尼终身成就奖，百老汇的一座剧院以他的名字重新命名。（背景知识来自于https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1809787640266579980&wfr=spider&for=pc）
五、参考答案
Question 1: B
Question 2: C
Question 3: C
六、网络翻译
在超过60年的演艺生涯中，詹姆斯·厄尔·琼斯的声音本身就成为了一个明星。琼斯于本周去世，享年93岁。琼斯的一个职业决定至今仍然存在争议：他允许人工智能（AI）在新项目中再现他饰演达斯·维达的表演。天行者音效公司和乌克兰软件公司Respeecher使用AI技术，重新创造了琼斯在2022年《欧比旺·克诺比》剧集中的达斯·维达声音。该剧集在流媒体平台Disney+上播出。演员马克·哈米尔的声音也通过Respeecher的技术“返老还童”了。哈米尔在第一部《星球大战》电影中饰演了卢克·天行者。在电视剧《曼达洛人》中，他的AI制造的声音也被使用。Disney+于2019年推出了该剧集。配音演员们表示，他们担心AI技术可能会减少工作机会，因为该技术可以将一个表演复制为多个。这一担忧促使美国视频游戏表演者工会于7月举行罢工。对于一些观察者来说，琼斯允许AI再现其声音的决定引发了对配音作为一门艺术的质疑。然而，这一决定也可能有助于制定能够公平支付演员AI表演费用的协议。好莱坞的视频游戏表演者在经过超过18个月与行业领导者的互动媒体协议谈判后，呼吁罢工。谈判双方未能就人工智能保护措施达成协议。工会成员表示，他们并不反对AI，但他们担心这项技术可能取代他们。对AI使用的担忧是去年影视工作者罢工的原因之一。罢工持续了四个月。
七、版权说明
英文新闻来自于VOA；背景知识来自于国内等多个平台。本平台属于公益平台，未通过转载相关内容获得相关利益。文章不涉及打赏及相关产品推荐等。转载相关中文背景知识出于传递更多信息、方便学生理解相关新闻背景；英文文章及音频所传递的观点与本公众号无关。网络翻译来源于ChatGPT的在线翻译，翻译内容仅供参考。此外，内容删减仅是因为篇幅以及考虑学生接受等目的，不涉及歪曲事实观点及作者相关意见。若有来源标注错误或侵犯了您的合法权益，请与本公众号运营人员进行联系，我们将及时更正、删除，谢谢。 邮箱地址：yangyanchao@mmc.edu.mo
