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 planet 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 Ambassador.
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.
Extract 1:
The likelihood 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 orbiting other stars, like our sun, so it’s no longer fanciful to think about thepossibility of life on distant planets.
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 candidate 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 concerning the nonproliferationof weapons in outer space.
Alice: So the Office of Outer Space Affairs oversees 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 encounter any aliens!
Rob: OK Alice, we’ve taken a small step in learning 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. |