Pre-reading questions:
- What apps do you have on your smartphone?
- Do you like to use face-swapping apps?
Vocabulary:
- change /cheynj/
- celebrity /suh-LEB-ri-tee/
- download /DOUN-lohd/
- announcement /uh-NOUNS-muhnt/
- creator /kree-EY-ter/
[verb] to get one thing in place of another thing
My parents changed coal with oil.
[noun] someone who is famous, especially in the entertainment business
My sister married a celebrity chef.
[verb] to copy or move programs or information into a computer’s memory
Be careful downloading too many apps on your smartphone.
[noun] something that someone says officially, giving information about something
I saw their wedding announcement on Facebook.
[noun] someone who has invented something
My father is the creator of this new product.
WeChat users can no longer access Zao, a face-swapping app released on August 30 that became popular in China. Using Zao, users can change celebrities’ faces in famous movie scenes with their own pictures. Zao’s rules explain that it will own any pictures created on the app. WeChat users can still upload videos made from Zao but they will not be allowed to download the app. According to an announcement from the creators of Zao on September 1, they understand the problem and are planning to fix it.
True or False:
- Zao became popular in China.
- WeChat users can still download Zao on their smartphones.
- Zao can replace celebrities’ faces with the user’s own picture.
- According to Zao’s creators, they have no plans on fixing the app’s problems.
- Zao was released on April 30.
Vocabulary Check:
Complete the sentences by using the words in the box.
| announcement | creator | change | celebrity | download |
- My friend said she wanted to be a famous _______.
- He is the _______ of a successful animated series.
- She made a public _______ about her child’s birthday party.
- Please _______ the program in your computer.
- There is no need to _______ the bed sheet with a new one.