bsa BM English Tina Bieri

Headway, Unit 4 Reading Comprehension 1

bsa BM English Tina Bieri

Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the text?
1. According to research, female voices sound superior and more intelligent.
2. Voice assistants often misunderstand women, ethnic minorities and people with regional accents.
3. Half the people in the Project Q sample thought the voice sounded male.
4. Google Euphonia learns the voice patterns of people with speech impairment.
5. The BBC’s voice assistant will not be able to recognize regional accents.
6. Project Q’s voice is already being used in metro stations and games.

Choose the best answer according to the text.

7. What is the general problem identified in the article?
a. that AI voice assistants are predominantly male
b. that AI voice assistants don’t understand non-English accents
c. that AI voice assistants need to be designed to be more inclusive
8. What, according to research, is the main difference between how male and female voices are
perceived?
a. Female voices sound superior and more intelligent.
b. Female voices sound more helpful and compliant.
c. Female voices are easier to understand.
9. What, according to the developers behind Project Q, is the main problem with current voice
technology?
a. It only offers two options – female and male.
b. It is not programmed to respond adequately to abuse.
c. It has historically favoured white and Chinese male voices.

Complete the table using words from the text.

adjective noun
accessible
superior
diverse
verb noun
initiate
respond
impair

Complete the sentence using the correct form of the word in brackets at the end of each sentence.
10. Datasets have _____________________ favoured white and Chinese male voices. [HISTORY]
11. Voice technology often fails to respond _____________________ to abuse. [ADEQUATE]
12. Voice assistants _____________________ start out as female by default. [PREDOMINANT]
13. Ryan Sherman believes that tech companies should exercise responsibility that is
_____________________ to the influence they have. [PROPORTION]
14. Some AI products have standard _____________________ features. [ACCESS]

Headway, Unit 4 Reading Comprehension 2

bsa BM English Tina Bieri

Find the following words in the text.

15. a verb meaning start selling a product or service (paragraph 3) _____________________
16. a noun meaning the high or low quality of a sound (paragraph 7) _____________________
17. a noun meaning something that is usual or expected (paragraph 10) _____________________

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text.
default – compliant – bias – binary - gender-neutral – inclusive – ethnic minority – diversity – non-
binary – prototype – norm – sceptical – blush – abuse – shortcomings – impairment
18. If something is _____________________, it does not refer specifically to a particular gender.
19. _____________________ is angry, offensive comments.
20. An _____________________ is a group of people with the same culture and traditions who live in
a place where most people have a different culture and traditions.
21. If something is _____________________, it involves all types of people.
22. If something happens by _____________________, it will appear or be done if you make no other
choice.
23. A _____________________ person is too willing to do what other people want.
24. If something is _____________________, it has two parts.
25. If people are _____________________ about something that other people think is true or right,
they have doubts about it.
26. If you have an _____________________, a part of your body is unable to do something fully.
27. If you _____________________, your cheeks become red because you feel embarrassed or
ashamed.
28. _____________________ is an attitude that makes people treat someone in a way that is unfair
or different from other people.
29. _____________________ are faults or problems that make something less effective.
30. A _____________________ is the first form of something new, made before it is produced in
large quantities.
31. If something is _____________________, it does not consist of only two things.
32. _____________________ is the fact that very different people exist within a group or place.
33. Something that is usual or expected is known as a _____________________.

Headway, Unit 4 Reading Comprehension 3