Technology helps a reporter speak

西安外國語大學 楊艷鑫

題材體裁 篇幅 建議用時361詞 7分鐘科學技術 記敘文

難詞探意

1.neurological /?nj??r??l?d??kl/ adj.神經學的；神經系統的

2.tongue protrusion dystonia 舌頭突出肌張力障礙

3.scramble /?skr?mbl/ v.擾亂；倒頻（改變信號）

4.convention /k?n?ven∫n/ n.大會；集會

5.adversity /?d?vз?s?ti/ n.逆境；困境

Imagine waking up one day to find that you've lost the ability to speak.That was the case for broadcast journalist Jamie Dupree who has been reporting political news for Cox Media Group since 1989.

After a vacation in2016, Dupree began to have trouble speaking.Then his voice disappeared completely.After seeing several doctors, he was diagnosed with a rareneuro

logicalcondition calledtongue protrusion dystonia.

“The best way to describe what has gone wrong with my voice is that the signals between my brain and my throat have becomescrambled,” Dupree told me recently via email.Dupree tried several different treatments to improve his ability to speak, but none worked.He wondered how he would be able to continue his reporting career.

“I spent a lot of time looking for the exact type of technology,” Dupree writes.Finally, a combination of thousands of recordings of his voice, artificial intelligence, and an app made by CereProc,helped create “Jamie Dupree 2.0”.

After two years of being off the air, Dupree is again reporting.Occasionally, he can blurt out a few words but is then unable to repeat them.The phenomenon, he writes, “is a medical mystery”.Despite various difficulties, Dupree doesn't give up.“What keeps me going?” he writes.“That would be my job.When you have three kids between 11 and 15, you're working as hard as you can to help your family.But he added, “Life hasn't changed that much.I still read and read and read and read.The biggest change is that it takes longer for me to collect my radio stories.”

Meanwhile, Dupree is preparing to cover the presidential election.“The plan for this year is exactly the plan for 2016 and every campaign back to 1992,” Dupree said.“Get out on the road to follow the campaign in a variety of states, and go to the politicalconventions.It should be an interesting year, to say the least.”

When asked his advice for others facingadversity, Dupree said, “Don't give up.I see too many people who give up too easily, even when they have the ability to do something.”

Reading Check

Fill in each blank with only one word according to the context.

This article tells a story about Jamie Dupree, a broadcast 1.________, whose voice disappeared completely after a vacation in 2016.After seeing several doctors, he was diagnosed with tongue protrusion dystonia.Dupree tried several 2.________to improve his ability to speak, but none worked.Finally, a combination of thousands of 3.________of his voice, artificial intelligence, and an app helped him 4.________again.Despite various 5.________, Dupree doesn't give up.Meanwhile, he is preparing to cover the presidential election.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

After a vacation in 2016, Dupree began to have trouble speaking.在2016年的假期之后，杜普里開始有發聲困難。

【信息提取】本句中，have trouble (in) doing 意為“在……方面有困難”。

【句式仿寫】當你學習英語有困難時，你可以向老師尋求幫助。