Alien contact

    Rob: Hello! I’m Rob and this is 6 Minute English. I’m joined today byAlice. Hello Alice.
    Alice: Hi Rob.
    Rob: Today, we’re talking about alien life form – and who on planet¹ earth wouldaliens speak to if they one day made contact?
    Alice: Alien life form. This is something that is written about in science fiction booksbut nobody has actually discovered anything extra-terrestrial yet.
    Rob: Extra-terrestrial – that’s something that’s not from our planet. Now, Alice, I’vegot a question for you.
    Alice: OK.
    Rob: What was the year that man first walked on the moon?
    Alice: Mmm, I’m not sure, can I have a think?
    Rob: Of course, you can give me the answer at the end of the programme. But backto the subject of contact from aliens. If someone from another planet did landon Earth what do you think they might say?
    Alice: Would they say “take me to your leader”?
    Rob: That’s a nice thought. But who would our leader be? Who would be the firstperson they should speak with?
    Alice: That’s difficult. Maybe the President of the United States of America? Theleaders of China or Russia? What about me?
    Rob: Well the answer, according to one expert, is a Space Ambassador².
    Alice: A Space Ambassador? What would they do?
    Rob: Well, they would be the first point of contact for aliens trying to communicatewith us.
    Alice: So they would be the first person to talk to – a point of contact - and wouldthey meet and greet these aliens when they land in their UFOs – theirUnidentified Flying Objects?
    Rob: Not exactly. A space scientist called Professor John Zernecki, who hassuggested the idea of a Space Ambassador, can explain. He thinks it is unlikelyto be a face to face meeting.
    Extract³ 1:
    The likelihood⁴ is not that aliens will suddenly appear in Guildford or Manchester orsomewhere like that. The contact, if it does happen, is most likely to be through radiosignals. Because, you know, in the last decade we have discovered something like 500planets orbiting⁶ other stars, like our sun, so it’s no longer fanciful to think about thepossibility of life on distant planets⁵.
    Alice: Ah, so Professor Zernecki doesn’t think aliens will land in a town or a city.
    Our contact will be through radio signals.
    Rob: Yes, radio signals. We will pick up some kind of sound. He believes it mightreally happen one day and the idea is no longer fanciful.
    Alice: Fanciful – that is something that is unreal or imagined – but he says this is nolonger fanciful.
    Rob: Yes, that’s because in the last decade five hundred new planets orbiting otherstars have been discovered so it’s no longer fanciful to think that there may belife on distant planets.
    Alice: I see, so he wants us to be prepared for a possible contact from aliens?
    Rob: YesAlice: And who might this Space Ambassador be?
    Rob: Well next week a meeting at The Royal Society in London will be discussingthe appointment of someone, and a likely candidate⁷ is an astrophysicist calledMazlan Othman. She already heads the Office of Outer Space Affairs for theUnited Nations.
    Alice: So the UN has an Office of Outer Space Affairs. It deals with issues that areliterally ‘out of this world’.
    Rob: That’s right. Professor Zernecki can explain a bit more about the things it looksafter.
    Extract 2:
    There are laws and regulations that have been signed up by many countries about whatwe can and can’t do on the moon; who owns the moon – and also concerning⁸ the nonproliferationof weapons in outer space.
    Alice: So the Office of Outer Space Affairs oversees⁹ laws and regulations aboutwhich activities can take place on the moon, who owns it and also the nonproliferationof weapons in outer space.
    Rob: Non-proliferation – that’s a limit on the use of weapons in space and keepingit a peaceful place.
    Alice: Well having a Space Ambassador seems like a good idea, but they may have alot of waiting to do.
    Rob: Possibly. Professor Zernecki says alien contact could happen next week, nextyear, next century or maybe even never but it would be really unfortunate tomiss their call. Now Alice, what’s the first thing you would say if you werecontacted by aliens?
    Alice: Ha! I would ask them if they knew the answer to your question – what year didman first walk on the moon?
    Rob: And what do you think their answer might be?
    Alice: 1969?
    Rob: Yes, that’s correct. American, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on themoon in 1969. And what do you think he said?
    Alice: “After such a long journey I would love a cup of tea”?
    Rob: No! His famous words were “That's one small step for man, one giant leap formankind”.
    Alice: It really was a big step but he didn’t encounter¹⁰ any aliens!
    Rob: OK Alice, we’ve taken a small step in learning¹¹ English today. Could youremind us of the some of the words we have learnt please?
    Alice: Alien life formScience fictionExtra-terrestrialAmbassadorFancifulOrbitingAppointmentNon-proliferationWeaponsRob: Thank you. That’s all we’ve got time for today. So thanks for joining us andsee you next time.
    Rob/Alice: Bye.

1 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

2 ambassador   

n.大使，特使，（派驻国际组织的）代表

参考例句：

• He took up office as an ambassador for ten years continuously.他连任十年大使。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

3 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

4 likelihood   

n.可能，可能性

参考例句：

• We must try our best to reduce the likelihood of war.我们必须尽最大努力减少战争的可能性。
• I don't think there is any likelihood of his agreeing to it.我认为不会有他同意那件事情的可能。

5 planets   

行星( planet的名词复数 )； 地球（尤指环境）

参考例句：

• Does life exist on other planets? 其他行星上有生命吗？
• the planets of our solar system 太阳系的行星

6 orbiting   

a.环绕的

参考例句：

• This orbiting telescope is the largest optical instrument in space. 这种轨道望远镜是宇宙中最大的光学仪器。 来自中级百科部分
• Let's pretend we' re on the spaceship orbiting round the earth ! 让我们假装是在沿轨道绕地球运转的宇宙飞船上！

7 candidate   

n.候选人；候补者；投考者，申请求职者

参考例句：

• Voters like a candidate who has the common touch. 投票者喜欢那些平易近人的候选人。
• The local newspapers dressed up the candidate as a boxer.当地报纸把那个候选人描绘成一个拳击手。

8 concerning   

prep.关于，论及

参考例句：

• What do you know concerning this?关于这事你知道些什么？
• Some senior students wrote in asking for information concerning postgraduate studies.一些四年级学生写信询问有关研究生课程的信息。

9 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

10 encounter   

v.遇到，偶然碰到；遭遇；n.遭遇；意外的相见

参考例句：

• It was a bloody encounter between the two armies. 这是那两军之间的一次激烈的遭遇战。
• A fortunate encounter brought the two friends together after a long separation.两位老朋友长期分离这次才有幸相遇。

11 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。