A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T June 2009
STARTING OFF
Work with a partner and discuss the questions.
1. Do you think there is intelligent life on other planets? 3. Have you ever seen a UFO?
2. Do you think aliens visit us on earth? 4. What would you do if you saw a UFO?
VOCABULARY 1
How much do you know about space? Work with a partner and put the words into the right columns.
Mars asteroids Venus a moon Uranus
flying saucers comets Jupiter Saturn the Milky Way
The sun sightings a supernova Neptune the solar system
PLANTES OTHER
Earth galaxies
Mercury
 A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T June 2009
VOCABULARY 2
Work with a partner and put the planets in order, from closest to the sun to farthest away.
VOCABULARY 3
Match the words in the  other column with the correct definitions.
2. an object, smaller that a planet, which orbits a
1. the yellow star which our planet orbits
planet
3. a time when you see something, especially something 4. something in the sky which you believe is a
unusual or special spacecraft from another planet
6. an object like a bright ball with a long tail which flies
5. a large group of (millions of) stars
around the sun
7. large rocks which orbit the sun 8. a very large exploding star
9. the galaxy in which we live 10. the sun and everything which orbits it
BEFORE YOU READ
Look at the questions below and discuss with a partner: True or False?
1. In reports of alien visits the aliens usually look the same. True & False &
2. In descriptions, most aliens have no hair. True & False &
3. In descriptions, most aliens have large ears. True & False &
4. Any aliens who visit us must have highly advanced technology. True & False &
5. We know why aliens will visit us. True & False &
6. A visit by aliens will change our lives. True & False &
FIRST READING
Read the first part of the text  VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE&  and check your answers.
SECOND READING
Read the second part of the text and answer the questions below.
1. Who wrote about aliens living on the moon?
2. Is there life on Mars?
3. When is  UFO season ?
4. What was found in New Mexico?
5. How can you help the search for extra-terrestrial life?
 A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T June 2009
VOCABULARY 4
Eight words in the text are underlined. Match them to the definitions below.
COUNTLESS LAST ACCORDING TO SO FAR
CLAIM INCIDENT HOAX SCREENSAVER
1. false information given as a trick, especially about
2. as somebody or something says (PREPOSITION)
something dangerous or important (NOUN)
3. say something is true, even though it might not be 4. a programme which darkens your monitor when
(VERB) you leave your computer (NOUN)
5. something that happens, especially something
6. so many you can t say how many (ADJECTIVE)
important or unusual (NOUN)
7. up to now (VERB) 8. carry on for a certain time (VERB)
VOCABULARY 5
Complete the sentences using one of the words from Vocabulary 1. You may need to change the form of the word.
1. There was a phone call about a bomb, but it was just a ____________________.
2. Look at the sky! So beautiful, ____________________ stars looking down on us.
3. It was a very strange ____________________. No-one can explain it.
4. ____________________ the weather forecast, there will be storms tomorrow.
5. A ____________________ is very useful. It stops your computer wasting electricity.
6. The film ____________________ almost three hours! It was very long.
7. She ____________________ that she did it herself, but I think somebody helped her.
8. How is the holiday? It s fine ____________________, but I don t know how it will be next week.
WRITING
Work with a partner. Imagine you have seen a flying saucer land in your town and write a report about it.
Think about:
WHERE Where did you see the saucer land?
WHEN When did it happen?
WHO Who came out of the saucer?
WHAT What did they say?
HOW How did you react?
Prepare the article together.
 A C T I V I T I E S S H E E T June 2009
"We have no proof, But...based on the best information we have available to us, we have to come
to the conclusion that& other life probably exists out there and perhaps in many places..."
Neil Armstrong, astronaut, first man on the moon
VISITORS FROM OUTER SPACE& WHO& WHERE FROM& WHY&
Who do they look like? How do they get here? What do they want?
One of the most Rocket ships, flying Friend or enemy? To
interesting things about saucers, wormholes, help or to fight? Or
UFO eyewitness reports teleportation& If the perhaps to watch, as we
is how similar the aliens come from far watch animals on safari.
descriptions of the aliens away planets or Writers and film makers
are. Grey or blue skin, incredibly distant galaxies, or even do agree on one thing, however:
hairless faces, a small from different dimensions then one wherever they come from and whatever
nose and mouth, large oval eyes thing is obvious: they must have they want, any meeting with visitors from
and no visible ears are in almost all technology so advanced we cannot another planet will change our lives
descriptions. even imagine it. forever.
incident . This is the story, some think, of
The truth is
a UFO crash in 1947. According to this
story, the US military found parts of a
UFO and its alien pilots in the New
out there&
Mexico desert; the parts, some say, have
Flying saucers, little green men,
been kept secret in the US Air Force
super robots, monsters& aliens
base at Roswell, New Mexico. In 1995
come in all shapes and sizes...
there was a big controversy when a film
showing scientists with the alien bodies
Book after book, magazine after
was shown on television; in the end,
Ufologists have for many years
magazine, film after film& people
however, the film makers admitted the
claimed that governments,
never get bored of stories of space
hoax.
particularly the US government, has
aliens coming to Earth. And, of
secret information about alien visits,
course, there are many people who What can we do?
including the famous  Roswell
believe that they have seen alien
We are already looking for signs of
incident of July 1947, when
space ships (UFOs - unidentified
intelligent life in space. Every rocket,
(ufologists say) a crashed UFO and
flying objects) or even that they have
shuttle and spaceship we have sent to
its pilots were found in the New
met aliens. Could they be right?
the moon, to the planets or into space
Mexico desert by the US military.
has looked for life - but we have found
Where could aliens come from?
Do aliens visit us? nothing, so far. Perhaps the best chance
Many writers have written about
is with the SETI programme - a
Every year thousands of people claim
aliens living quite close to home: H.
programme which looks for signals from
to see UFOs and/or aliens - most of
G. Wells, for example, wrote about
space sent by alien intelligence.
them during  UFO season , which lasts
aliens living on the moon ( The First
from the end of May to the beginning You can help the search, if you want to.
Men in the Moon ) and coming from
of September. Of course, this is just One of the things SETI does is use
Mars ( War of the Worlds ), while
the time when most people have their  resting computers to analyse data from
countless films have been made with
holidays, which might explain some of space, looking for signals. It is possible to
similar themes. Today, we know
the sightings! install a screensaver on your computer
there is no life on the moon and
which will look for such signals whenever
almost certainly no life on Mars, so if
There have been some very famous
you are not using your computer. Who
there are aliens out there they will be
UFO sightings and some which have
knows, you could be the person who
from much further away - outside of
never been explained. Probably the
finds extraterrestrial intelligence - and all
the solar system, from planets we
most interesting UFO story is over 50
while you sleep!
may never see and may not even
years old:  the Roswell
have names for.