Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. make contact with (someone/something)
    • ex. Scientists are hoping to make contact with aliens in the future.
  2. clarify
    • ex. The company sent an email to clarify the changes in the schedule.
  3. vast
    • ex. From the top of the mountain, we could see a vast forest below us.
  4. odds
    • ex. The odds of winning the lottery are very low.
  5. a conspiracy theory
    • ex. Some people believe the moon landing was fake, but this is a conspiracy theory without strong evidence.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Former U.S. President Barack Obama said he did not see evidence that aliens had made contact with Earth. His comments came after he answered questions in a podcast with host Brian Tyler Cohen. When asked if aliens are real, he replied, “They’re real,” but added that he had not seen them and that they were not being kept at Area 51, a site used to test secret fighter aircraft.

Later, Obama posted on Instagram to clarify his statement. He explained that the universe is so vast that the odds are good that life exists somewhere. However, he said the distance between solar systems is very large, so the chance that aliens have visited Earth is low. He also said that during his time as president, he saw no evidence that aliens had made contact with humans.

For many years, there was a lack of information about Area 51. This has led to many conspiracy theories. In 2013, the Central Intelligence Agency admitted that the base exists but denied stories about UFO crashes or aliens.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Aliens and UFOs

  • Do you believe that aliens exist somewhere in the universe? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How have movies, books, and games shaped your ideas about aliens? Discuss.
  • If there is life outside Earth and other creatures like aliens live in the universe, would you want humans to try to contact them? Why or why not? Discuss.

Conspiracy Theories

  • What conspiracy theory have you read or heard of before? Discuss.
  • Do you think believing in conspiracy theories can be healthy or harmful? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • Why do you think some people believe in conspiracy theories, even without clear evidence? Discuss.