LEVEL A1

A2

ALIENS
IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

Genevieve Kocienda
 Cambridge Discovery Education TM

INTERACTIVE READERS
Series editor: Bob Hastings

ALIENS
IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?

A2

Genevieve Kocienda
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Cambridge University Press

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© Cambridge University Press 2014

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without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 2014

Printed in Hong Kong, China, by Golden Cup Printing Company Limited

A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kocienda, G.
Aliens : is anybody out there? / Geneieve Kocienda.
pages cm. -- (Cambridge discovery interactive readers)
ISBN 978-1-107-66000-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Life on other planets--Juvenile literature. 2. English language--Textbooks for foreign speakers.
3. Readers (Elementary) I. Title.

QB54.K53 2013
576.8’39--dc23

2013025130

ISBN 978-1-107-66000-7

Additional resources for this publication at www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or

accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in
this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is,
or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Layout services, art direction, book design, and photo research: Q2ABillSMITH GROUP
Editorial services: Hyphen S.A.
Audio production: CityVox, New York
Video production: Q2ABillSMITH GROUP
Contents
before You Read: Get Ready! ................... 4

CHAPTER 1
Little Green Men ............................................ 6

CHAPTER 2
SETI .................................................................. 8

CHAPTER 3
Travel beyond Earth ..................................... 12

CHAPTER 4
Is Anyone Home? .......................................... 16

CHAPTER 5
What Do You Think? .................................... 20

After You Read ............................................... 22

Answer Key ..................................................... 24

Glossary
 Before You Read:
Get Ready!
What do you see when you look up at the sky at night? There is the
moon, and there are many, many stars. But is there more? Are there
living things? And can we talk to them?

Words to Know
Read the information. Then complete the definitions below
with the correct highlighted words.

The Sun and the Earth are

part of our solar system.
It has eight planets.

Some scientists use telescopes to try

to answer the question: Are there
other living things far from Earth?
And if there are, are they intelligent?

People have built spacecraft to

travel through space to look
for other living things.

1 : smart, can understand and learn

2 : big, round things like Earth
3 : a star, like our Sun, and the planets around it
4 : people who study the natural world
5 : where you find solar systems
6 : special planes that travel far from Earth
7 : machines that make things look bigger
4
 Words to Know
Read the definitions. Then complete the paragraph with the
correct words.
aliens: living things that do not live on Earth
astronomers: scientists who study space
communicate: give information to another person
make contact: fi nd out where someone is and communicate with them
search: look somewhere to fi nd something
universe: everything in space: the Earth, moon, stars, Sun, and more

The 1 is very, very big. We don’t

know everything that is in it. Many people think that there could be
living things, or 2 , that live far away
from Earth. 3 use telescopes and
spacecraft to 4   space for these beings
and to let them know we are here on Earth.
Maybe one day we will fi nd intelligent beings – or they will fi nd us!
But what will happen if we 5 with
them? How could we 6 with them?
We don’t know their language, and maybe they cannot understand any
of the languages of the people on Earth.

5
 CHAPTER 1

Little Green Men

IS THERE INTELLIGENT LIFE BEYOND EARTH?
SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT.

Do you think there are

aliens that live on other
planets in the universe? What
do you think they look like?
In science-fiction books and
Hollywood movies, the
aliens are often “little green
men” with long, thin bodies,
very large eyes, and hands
with only three long fingers. They travel in “flying
saucers.” In some movies, like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,
the alien is very kind and friendly. In other movies, like
The War of the Worlds, the aliens are dangerous. They
want to kill everyone on Earth.
6
 No one knows what aliens
really look like – or if they
really do exist.1 However, some
scientists think that the universe
is so big that intelligent life must
exist beyond our world.
But scientists are not waiting
for aliens to come to Earth in
fl ying saucers. They think that
the fi rst contact with aliens will
be with messages. So scientists
are trying to fi nd messages from
aliens – and at the same time, they
are sending messages. They hope that their messages can
be the beginning of communication with aliens.
The scientifi c way to say “aliens” is “extraterrestrial
intelligence.” Extra means “out” and terrestrial means
“of Earth.” So extraterrestrial intelligence means any
intelligent life-form2 that lives outside of Earth.
Do you think aliens will receive our messages? Will
they communicate with us in words or in another way,
like musical sounds? That’s what the aliens did in the
movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
exist: live
1

life-form: any living thing

2

ANALYZE
Why do some people think that aliens are
friendly? Why do others think they
are dangerous?

7
 The Arecibo radio telescope
has a 305-meter antenna.

CHAPTER 2

SETI
COMMUNICATING WITH
EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE-FORMS
IS NOT JUST SCIENCE FICTION.
IT IS REAL SCIENCE.

In the 1997 movie Contact, a

scientist is trying to fi nd proof3 that extraterrestrial
life exists. She uses a special radio to listen for
messages. One day, she hears messages from a far away
star. The messages tell her how to build a machine that
will let her travel to that star.
Does this sound like a strange story? Well, it’s based
on the work of real people at a real organization4 that
wants to make contact with extraterrestrial life-forms.
3
proof: something that shows that a thing or idea is true
organization: a group of people who work together to do something
4

important
8
It’s called the SETI Institute. SETI stands for “Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence.” SETI has many important
scientists. They are trying to fi nd out if there is life in
the universe beyond Earth.
The SETI Institute was started in 1984 in California,
USA. But the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
started earlier.
In 1960, a young radio
astronomer named Frank Drake
started the fi rst search for signals
from other solar systems. He used a
26-meter antenna, but he didn’t hear
anything. Many other scientists,
however, were interested in his
research.
In 1974 the famous Arecibo
Message was sent from a 305-meter
antenna. It was the strongest
message ever sent. The message
was a simple picture. Scientists
think prime numbers may be easier
for aliens to understand, so the
picture is 73 lines of 23 characters
per line (73 and 23 are prime
numbers). The picture shows a
person, our solar system, DNA,
and some of the chemicals5 of life.
chemicals: things like oxygen, hydrogen,
5

and nitrogen that are needed for life The Arecibo Message
on Earth
9
 Ten years later, a group of scientists started the
SETI Institute. Today, SETI does many different kinds
of research.
One part of SETI uses radio to listen for messages
from other intelligent life-forms. Why radio? People
started sending radio signals into space about 100 years
ago. We do it every time we turn on a radio, a TV, or
use radar.6 So, maybe, other intelligent life-forms send
out radio signals, too. Maybe one day we will hear alien
radio programs!
The SETI Institute also uses telescopes to look for
extraterrestrial intelligence. What do they look for?
Short but strong lights that are not natural. They think
these lights could show that aliens are trying to send
signals to us.
radar: radio waves used to look at weather and also far away things
6

Radio telescopes

10
can we live somewhere out there?

Another part of SETI, the Carl Sagan Center, studies

astrobiology, which is the study of life in the universe.
They want to answer these questions: Where did we
come from? Are we alone?
The Carl Sagan Center also researches habitability –
if and how people can live in a place. They study
different kinds of habitability on Earth, in very
diffi cult places like the Arctic, Antarctica, the highest
mountains, and the bottom of the ocean. They also
research habitability in other places in our solar
system. They want to fi nd out if there are other planets
where people could live. To do this, scientists from
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) fl y into space, and they also use the world’s
best telescopes to look into space.

Video Quest
The SETI Institute
Watch this video to learn more
about the search for aliens. What
kind of signal does the SETI
Institute search for?

11
 The Voyager spacecraft

CHAPTER 3

Travel Beyond
Earth
THE EXPLORATION OF SPACE CONTINUES.

The job of NASA is to research and explore space.

It was started in 1958. Only eleven years later, in July
1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk
on the Moon.
In 1977, NASA sent two
spacecraft, Voyager 1 and
Voyager 2, on a mission7
to explore the planets Jupiter
and Saturn. These spacecraft
are unmanned – they don’t
have any people on them.
Jupiter and one of
its moons, Io
7
mission: a trip to do one special job
12
 They found that Jupiter’s moon
Io has active volcanoes. They also
explored the rings around Saturn and
sent information that helps scientists
understand them better.
After exploring Jupiter and
Saturn, however, Voyager 1 and 2
didn’t stop. They have sent a lot of A volcano
information back to Earth. And some
of it is very interesting. Here is more information about
the Voyager spacecraft:
• In 1989, Voyager sent the first color pictures of
the planet Neptune.
• In the beginning, the Voyager spacecraft were
going to explore only two planets for five years,
but they have already explored all the large outer
planets of our solar system and 48 of their moons.
• In 1990 Voyager sent the last pictures of our solar
system.
• In 1998 Voyager 1 became the farthest away man-
made thing in space.

Video Quest
Voyager
Watch this video to learn more
about Voyager. What does
Dr. Jill Tarter think about the
message that we might get from
aliens?

13
 The Golden Record

As of 2014, the Voyager mission is in its 38th

year. The spacecraft are now past Pluto and out of the
heliosphere – the area around the Sun. They are still
sending information back to NASA.
But what about searching for and making contact
with extraterrestrial intelligence? That is a part of the
Voyager mission, too.
Both Voyager spacecraft have “the Golden Record.”
It is a greeting8 to any life-forms that Voyager meets.
The message is carried by a 305-millimeter record made
of the metals gold and copper. Scientists at NASA chose
115 pictures and many natural sounds including bird
songs, wind, and the sea. They put those things on the
record to show what life on Earth is like. They also
chose music from different countries and times and
spoken greetings in 55 different languages.
8
greeting: a welcome to someone, like saying “hello”
14
 Of course, the United States isn’t
the only country to explore space
and search for extraterrestrial life.
Sputnik was the
Russian scientist Konstantin first satellite to go
Tsiolkovsky researched building around the Earth.
spacecraft as early as 1883. Research
in Russia, and then the Soviet Union,
continued, and in 1957, Sputnik 1 was
the fi rst satellite in space.
The Soviet Union also had the world’s
fi rst manned space fl ight. In April 1961,
Yuri Gagarin, on the spacecraft Vostok, Yuri Gagarin
became the fi rst man to travel in space
around planet Earth. It took him 108 minutes.
Today, Russia still has a space program. It is also one
of the countries that work on the International Space
Station. Maybe by working together we will fi nd out
if we are alone or if there is more intelligent life in the
universe.
The International
Space Station

EVALUATE
Why do you think the scientists wanted to put
many different pictures, sounds, and music from
different countries on the Golden Record?
15
 CHAPTER 4

Is Anyone Home?
HOW CAN YOU SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL
INTELLIGENCE WHILE SITTING AT HOME?

SETI wants the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

to be open to everyone. So they found a way to help
people join in. How? With a program called SETI@home.
Here’s how it works:
SETI usually uses large computers that study data
from very big radio telescopes, like the one in Arecibo.
But these computers don’t have enough power9 to study
all the data that they get from the telescopes. They only
study the strongest signals. To study all the signals they
get – from the weakest to the strongest – they need a much
more powerful (and much more expensive) computer.
power: Something that is big and strong has power.
9

16
 So that’s where you come
in . . .
The SETI@home project
wants to borrow your
computer when you aren’t
using it. How can they
borrow your computer?
They give you a screen SETI@home is a screen
saver. When you are not saver for your computer.
using your computer, the
screen saver gets some data from SETI and puts it on
your computer.
Your computer then studies the data and sends
the information back to SETI. As soon as you want
to use your computer again, the screen saver stops
studying the SETI data. Then, when you stop using
your computer, the screen saver starts studying the
data again.
In this way, SETI@home is made up of many
small home computers, all studying different pieces
of data at the same time. It’s almost like having one
very big computer!

Video Quest
Hello?
Watch this video to learn about
the SETI@home program.
How many people are in the
program?

17
 So, with all the scientists, telescopes, radios, and
computers, have we made contact with extraterrestrial
intelligence? Or have they tried to make contact with
us? Maybe.

The Wow Signal

Ohio State University, USA, August 15, 1977
Astronomer Jerry Ehman is looking at some data
from a radio telescope called the “Big Ear.” Ehman
sees a group of numbers and letters that are completely
different from anything scientists have seen before. Is it
a signal from space? The signal is loud, and it lasts for
72 seconds. Then it stops. Ehman writes “Wow!” next to
these numbers and letters.
Scientists looked and looked, but they could never
find the same signal again. Was ET trying to call us? Or
was it a wrong number?

18
The Roswell Aliens
Roswell, New Mexico, USA,
Was the Roswell flying
July 8, 1947
saucer really just a
A fl ying saucer falls from weather balloon?
the sky and crashes on a farm.
Inside the spacecraft are some
aliens. A newspaper tells the
story. But later that day,
the army says it wasn’t
a fl ying saucer. It was a
weather balloon. And
there were no aliens.
In 1978, Stanton T.
Friedman, a scientist
interested in fl ying
saucers and aliens,
talks to Jesse Marcel.
In 1947, Marcel was a US Army offi cial at Roswell.
He says there was an alien spacecraft and that the
Army took the aliens to study them. Other people
come forward and say that they saw aliens, too. But the
Army repeats its story. It was just a weather balloon.
Some people think Roswell shows that aliens exist.
But there is no proof.

EVALUATE
Why do some people want to believe in
aliens, even if there is no proof?

19
 CHAPTER 5

What Do You Think?

PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT ALIEN
CONTACT. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?

How do you feel about contact with extraterrestrial

life-forms? Do you think we should try to contact
aliens? The famous scientist, Stephen Hawking, does
not think it’s a good idea for us to send messages into
space or to answer messages from space. He thinks it
might be dangerous for us. Do you agree?
Think about this: You are watching the news on TV.
The big story is that scientists have received a message
from space. Do you think that’s good news or bad
news? Why?
20
 Now, read these news stories. How do you feel
about each one – excited, worried, afraid, interested, or
something else?

1. Scientists at SETI say they got some kind of

message from space. It might be an intelligent
message, but it might just be electrical signals.
They don’t know and can’t fi nd out. They will
have to wait and see if another message comes.

2. Scientists at SETI say they got a message from

space. They are sure that it is from an intelligent
life-form, but they can’t read it. We may never
know what the message says.

3. Scientists at SETI say they got a message from

space. It is in a mathematical language, so we can
read it. The message is:
Hello, Earth. We are coming to your planet.

21
 After You Read
Choose the Correct Answers
Read the questions and choose A , B , or C .
1 How do scientists think the first contact with aliens will happen?
A They will send a message.
B They will come to Earth in a flying saucer.
C They will send a satellite.
2 Extraterrestrial is another word for what?
A spaceship
B alien
C telescope
3 What is the Arecibo Message?
A a very big telescope
B a simple picture
C a screen saver
4 When did we start sending radio signals into space?
A in 1960
B 100 years ago
C after the first man walked on the Moon
5 What does SETI use telescopes to look for?
A strong lights
B flying saucers
C pictures of aliens
6 What is the Golden Record?
A a telescope
B a spacecraft
C a message
7 What is NOT on the Golden Record?
A photos of war
B Earth’s location in space
C sounds of nature
22
8 What was special about the “Wow Signal”?
A The signal happened a few times.
B Scientists never saw a signal like this before.
C Scientists could understand the signal.

Complete the Text

Use the words in the box to complete the text.

aliens intelligent scientists spacecraft

communicate planet solar system universe

Do you think there is 1 life beyond our
2  , the Earth?

Most 3 don’t think there can be

4 living in our
5  , but maybe there is extraterrestrial life
somewhere in the 6  . Maybe one day we
can 7 with these life-forms. And maybe
they will come in a 8 to visit us!

Your Opinion
If aliens come to Earth one day, what do you think they
will be like? Think of three ways they will be like us and
three ways they will be different.
Like us

Different from us

23
 Answer Key
Words to Know, page 4
1 intelligent 2 planets 3 solar system 4 scientists
5 space 6 spacecraft 7 telescopes

Words to Know, page 5

1 universe 2 aliens 3 Astronomers 4 search
5 make contact 6 communicate

Analyze, page 7  Answers will vary.

Video Quest, page 11

One that cannot be produced in nature.

Video Quest, page 13

Just like our message on the Golden Record, they might
put only the good things about themselves.

Evaluate, page 15  Answers will vary.

Video Quest, page 17

Eight million

Evaluate, page 19  Answers will vary.

Choose the Correct Answers, page 22

1 a 2 b 3 B 4 b 5 A 6 c 7 a 8 b

Complete the Text, page 23

1 intelligent 2 planet 3 scientists 4 aliens
5 solar system 6 universe 7 communicate
8 spacecraft

Your Opinion, page 23  Answers will vary.

24