Class 15 - Handout (DHOPLI A2)

Desenvolvimento de Habilidades Orais e Pronúncia de Língua Inglesa (A2)
Class 15
Handout
Vocabulary Activity
Match the words in bold to their meanings.
1. “The strike caused many A. A situation in which one event

productions to shut down.” produces effects which spread and
produce further effects.
2. “The bank crash has had ripple B. To employ someone or pay someone
effects on the whole community.” to do a particular job.
3. “Technology always introduces C. A television or radio program.

uncertainty and change.”
4. People could watch the Copa D. To stop operating.

América finals via a live broadcast.
5. “A scenario could arise in which an E. To start to happen or exist.

AI tool is used to generate an idea
for a plot.”
6. “... and then a writer is hired to F. A situation in which something is not

revise it.” known, or something that is not known
or certain.
Reading Comprehension
Read the text below and answer the questions that follow.
The 2023 Writers Guild of America strike had a significant impact on the film and television
industries of the United States, causing many film and television projects to shut down or
delay production. It is the largest interruption to American film and television production
since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
When writers strike, the ripple effects can be large, particularly for people who work in TV.
Production slows down or stops, which means that all of the other people who work in the
entertainment business — electricians, caterers, set dressers, directors, background actors —
have to find other work. It’s also noticeable to audiences, since some TV shows have to stop
production, while others are delayed.
And what motivated the strike? As with everything in Hollywood, the answer to this is both
very complicated and simple. Studios and production companies want to make more money,
in most cases to please the investors and the corporations that own them, and so they find
ways to cut corners wherever they can. On top of it, technology always introduces uncertainty
and change in Hollywood, and the WGA’s issues have to do with two big technical changes:
the prevalence of streaming, and the challenge of Artificial Intelligence.
Let’s start with streaming: Most TV shows on streaming have far shorter seasons than their
broadcast cousins — 8 or 10 episodes, as opposed to 22 or more — and that means writers
get paid less for each job. And though there are fewer episodes in a season, streaming
showrunners (the people who are ultimately in charge of managing shows and making
creative decisions) are working as long as their peers in broadcast TV, per the WGA’s report,
but because of the way the contract is set up, their median salary is about 46 percent of the
broadcast median.
But then there’s AI. A lot of the TV episodes and movies produced by Hollywood are, by
nature, highly formulaic. A scenario could arise in which an AI tool is used to generate an
idea for a plot, or even a full script, and then a writer is hired to revise it. This would cut costs
for the studio in a few ways. They wouldn’t need to pay a writer for their ideas anymore;
they’d work at a lower rate, since technically they’d be “adapting” an idea.
Adapted from: https://www.vox.com/culture/23696617/writers-strike-wga-2023-explained-residuals-streaming-ai
1. Besides writers, what other workers were affected by the strike?

R: other people who work in the entertainment business — electricians, caterers, set dressers,
directors, background actors
2. Name two issues that caused the Writers’ strike.

R: the prevalence of streaming, and the challenge of Artificial Intelligence.
3. How much is a streaming showrunner’s salary in comparison to TV showrunners?

R: their median salary is about 46 percent of the broadcast median.
4. What could happen to script writing if AI tools were used in the process?
R: A scenario could arise in which an AI tool is used to generate an idea for a plot, or even a
full script, and then a writer is hired to revise it. This would cut costs for the studio in a few
ways. They wouldn’t need to pay a writer for their ideas anymore; they’d work at a lower
rate, since technically they’d be “adapting” an idea.
Group Discussion
Get together in groups and discuss the following questions:
● Have you seen/heard similar complaints about AI by other workers? Which ones?
● Are you afraid that AI will take people’s jobs? What makes you think that?
● What is AI capable of doing? And what can’t it do?
Activity
In the box below, there is a list of actions. Which ones are possible for an AI? Sort
them into two columns: Possible or Not Possible.
Write academic essays – Make moral judgements – Be creative – Get trained and learn –
Translate languages in real-time – Power self-driving cars – Explain its decisions – Create
visual art – Feel empathy, sympathy, and other emotions – Make investments – Multitask
– Fully replace human workers
Possible Not possible
Possible: Write academic essays; Make moral judgements; translate languages in real-time;
Power self-driving cars; create visual art; get trained and learn; Make Investments;
Not possible: Be creative; explain its decisions; feel empathy, and other emotions
Listening Comprehension
Watch the scene from the movie “I, Robot” and mark what Detective Spooner (Will
Smith) asked Sonny (the robot).
1. He asked if a robot is capable of writing a symphony.

2. He asked if a robot is capable of killing a person.
3. He asked if a robot is capable of feeling human emotions.
4. He asked if a robot is capable of turning a canvas into a beautiful masterpiece.
Grammar Practice I
Write (A)bility, (P)ossibility, (R)equest to the sentences according to the idea “can”
convey in them.
1. We can go to Rome in June because both of us have a week off work. (P)
2. Can you sleep on your back? (A)
3. I can type 75 words in a minute. (A)
4. Those cakes look so good! Can I try one? (R)
5. Can you give me a lift to school? (R)
6. Learning a language can be really fun. (P)
7. No matter how hard I try, I can not speak Chinese. (A)
8. Anyone can become famous if they know the right people. (P)
Grammar Practice II
Fill in the gaps with can, can’t, could, couldn’t. All the sentences refer to either a
present or past idea.
1. A good runner can run the race in under four minutes.

2. Can she speak German very well?
3. Bill is so unfit he can’t run at all.
4. He couldn’t draw or paint at all when he was a boy, but now he’s a famous artist.
5. Our baby is only nine months and he can already stand up.
6. When I was younger, I could speak Japanese much better than I can now.
Grammar Practice III
Rewrite these sentences using can, can’t, could or couldn’t. Follow the example:
1. I smell something burning. I can smell something burning.
2. Do you see that man over there? _________________________
3. I understood what he said. ______________________________
4. Did you understand the assignment? ___________________________
5. I don’t see anyone. ____________________________
6. I didn’t watch the movie yesterday. _____________________________
Speaking Practice
In pairs, complete and practice the dialogue below. Do it twice, so each person can
play each character once.
Lucy: Hello, Marcus. How are you doing?

Marcus: Hi, Lucy! I’m doing fine. What about you?
Lucy: Fine as well. Look, I wanted to ask you... What is your opinion on Artificial
Intelligence?
Marcus: Hmm... I think it’s really (helpful/dangerous) because it (can/could)
___________________.
Lucy: That’s a good point, but I think that, in a few years from now, it (can/could) (become
a/turn into a) _______________.
Marcus: Well, of that I’m not sure, I cannot see that far into the future.
Lucy: Yeah, guess we’ll only know when we get there. But thank you anyway!
Marcus: Don’t mind it!

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Desenvolvimento de Habilidades Orais e Pronúncia de Língua Inglesa (A2)

Match the words in bold to their meanings.

1. “The strike caused many A. A situation in which one event

3. “Technology always introduces C. A television or radio program.

4. People could watch the Copa D. To stop operating.

5. “A scenario could arise in which an E. To start to happen or exist.

6. “... and then a writer is hired to F. A situation in which something is not

1. Besides writers, what other workers were affected by the strike?

2. Name two issues that caused the Writers’ strike.

3. How much is a streaming showrunner’s salary in comparison to TV showrunners?

Get together in groups and discuss the following questions:

Possible Not possible

1. He asked if a robot is capable of writing a symphony.

1. A good runner can run the race in under four minutes.

Grammar Practice III

Lucy: Hello, Marcus. How are you doing?

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