A short video appears on a phone. In it, a well-known doctor recommends a medicine that does not exist, or a company boss orders money to be sent to a strange account. The face and the voice look and sound real. The person in the video never said any of it.
This is called a deepfake. The name comes from deep learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, and from the word fake. Modern tools can copy a face or a voice from only a few seconds of material. Two years ago the same result took a team of experts and a week of work. Today a phone app can do it in a minute, and it is often free.
The damage is easy to imagine. Fake voices have been used to ask families for money in an emergency. Fake images have been used to hurt the reputation of people in public life, and women are far more often the target. In business, a fake video call has persuaded a worker to move a large sum to a false account.
Rules are beginning to appear. Some countries now require that computer-made images and videos be clearly marked, so that a viewer can tell what is real. Platforms are asked to remove material quickly after a complaint and to keep a record of how it was made. Those who create a fake person without permission can face heavy fines.
Yet marking is not a complete answer. The mark can be cut away, and much of the harm happens in private messages where no platform can see it. The deeper need is a habit: when a strange request arrives, check it through another channel before acting. A minute of doubt may be worth more than any rule.
Words to know:
- deepfake (n. 深度伪造，AI 换脸)
- artificial (adj. 人工的，人造的)
- reputation (n. 名誉，声望)
- platform (n. 平台)
- complaint (n. 投诉，抱怨)
- fine (n. 罚款；v. 处以罚款)
- permission (n. 许可，允许)
- channel (n. 渠道，途径)
长难句拆解 · 被动语态 + 不定式作宾语补足语 + 过去分词作后置定语
原文：Platforms are asked to remove material quickly after a complaint and to keep a record of how it was made.
拆解：主干是 Platforms are asked to remove material and to keep a record（平台被要求下架内容并保留记录）。主句是被动语态 are asked，施动者未出现。to remove … and to keep … 是两个并列的不定式，作宾语补足语，说明被要求做的两件事。quickly after a complaint 是时间状语。最后的 how it was made 是宾语从句，作 of 的宾语，其中 it 指前面提到的 material，谓语用被动语态 was made。
直译：平台被要求接到投诉后迅速下架相关内容，并保留它制作方式的记录。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读最爱把原文的词换成另一个说法来出题，认出这些替换，定位就能快一半。
- the same result took a team of experts and a week of work → the job needed many specialists and seven days（take ＝ 需要）
- a phone app can do it in a minute → a mobile application finishes it within sixty seconds（do ＝ finish）
- hurt the reputation of people in public life → damage the good name of famous figures（reputation ＝ good name）
- women are far more often the target → women are attacked much more frequently（target ＝ 目标）
- clearly marked → plainly labelled（mark ＝ label）
- can face heavy fines → may have to pay large sums as punishment（fine ＝ 罚款）
- The mark can be cut away → the label can be removed（cut away ＝ remove）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T / F / NG：深度伪造技术在两年前需要专家团队工作一周才能实现，如今手机应用一分钟即可完成。（判断正误并说明依据）
- 简答：作者认为比制定规则更重要的应对方式是什么？
- 选词填空：Those who create a fake person without ____ can face heavy fines.（供选：permission / permit / permitted）
参考答案与解析
- TRUE。原文说 Two years ago the same result took a team of experts and a week of work. Today a phone app can do it in a minute，与题目完全一致。题目把 Today 换成「如今」，把 took 换成「需要」，都属于正常的同义转换。
- 养成核实的习惯：当收到奇怪的请求时，先通过另一个渠道确认再行动。原文最后一段说 The deeper need is a habit: when a strange request arrives, check it through another channel before acting。注意题目问的是「作者认为比规则更重要」的方式，答案必须落在「核实习惯」上，而不是重申标注或罚款。
- permission。without permission 是固定搭配，意为「未经许可」。permit 作名词时指「许可证」这一具体证件，且 without permit 不是惯用搭配；permitted 是动词或形容词形式，不能作介词宾语。
中文译文
手机上出现一段短视频。视频里，一位知名医生推荐一种并不存在的药品，或者某公司老板下令把钱打入一个陌生账户。那张脸和那把声音看起来、听起来都很真实。视频里的人从没说过这些话。
这被称为「深度伪造」。这个名字来自人工智能的一个分支——深度学习，以及「伪造」一词。如今的工具只需几秒素材就能复制一张脸或一副嗓音。两年前，得到同样的结果需要一支专家团队干上一周。今天，一个手机应用一分钟就能完成，而且常常免费。
危害不难想象。伪造的声音被用来谎称急事向家人索要钱财。伪造的影像被用来损害公众人物的名誉，而女性成为目标的比例远高于男性。在商业场景中，一段伪造的视频通话曾说服一名员工把大笔款项转入虚假账户。
规则开始出现。一些国家现在要求计算机生成的图像与视频必须清晰标注，以便观看者分辨真假。平台被要求接到投诉后迅速下架相关内容，并保留其制作方式的记录。未经许可制作他人虚假形象的人可能面临高额罚款。
但标注并不是完整答案。标记可以被裁掉，而很多伤害发生在平台看不到的私聊里。更深层的需要是一种习惯：当收到奇怪的请求时，先通过另一个渠道核实再行动。一分钟的怀疑，可能比任何规则都值钱。