U.S. Government Won’t Confirm or Deny Alien UFOs Exist

When it comes to believing in aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), Americans are divided. A recent survey shows that around one third of Americans—or around 33%—are convinced that alien spacecraft have visited Earth. While these believers make up a minority of the country’s population, they have been very loud in demanding that the U.S. government investigate the hundreds of reports of “UFO sightings” it receives each year. What’s more, they accuse the government of hiding or “covering up” the truth of what it has learned about what they claim to be visitors from other planets in the far reaches of outer space.

Under this constant public pressure to discover whether alien UFOs actually exist, the government has actually spent considerable time, money, and resources trying to do just that. For decades, the police, the military, and the FBI have investigated incidents involving strange lights in the sky or objects flying at incredible speeds or moving in unusual ways. Often, commercial airline or air force pilots and air traffic controllers have been the ones reporting the strange things they have seen. Government agents have questioned these witnesses in interviews and have looked closely at data recorded by cameras, radar, and other flight navigation systems.

The investigation results have usually been labeled “Top Secret” and kept hidden from public view. The government has justified this as necessary to protect national security. However, the existence of a recently concluded secret military report has been leaked to members of the media. In it, investigators apparently admit they cannot explain many of the bizarre phenomena witnesses have reported. While it rules out many possible reasonable explanations, the report stops short of acknowledging the unknown objects as alien spaceships. In other words, we still lack solid proof of whether alien life exists or not.

Reading Comprehension

(　　) 1. According to the passage, which of the following statements about UFOs is NOT true? (supporting details)
(A) There are usually hundreds of UFO sightings in the U.S. every year.
(B) More than half of Americans believe that UFOs have visited Earth.
(C) It’s believed that UFOs carry visitors from other planets in outer space.
(D) The U.S. government still can’t determine whether UFOs really exist or not.

(　　) 2. What is the purpose of the second paragraph? (main idea)
(A) To prove that lots of data about UFOs have been recorded by cameras and radars.
(B) To convince readers that UFOs probably pose a great threat to human beings on Earth.
(C) To show that air force pilots and air traffic controllers are more likely to encounter UFOs.
(D) To explain that the U.S. government has made great efforts to investigate if UFOs really exist.

(　　) 3. Which is closest in meaning to the phrase “rule out” in the last paragraph? (words in context)
(A) To declare.  (B) To interpret.       (C) To eliminate.      (D) To motivate.

4. What does the term “UFO” stand for?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. The U.S. government has labeled the investigation results of UFOs as “_____________________” in order to protect _____________________.

Vocabulary and Phrases

1. alien　n., adj. 外星人(的)，外星生物(的)

2. spacecraft　n. 太空船

3. sighting　n. (對不尋常事物的)看見，目擊

4. cover up　phr. 遮掩，隱瞞

5. incredible　adj. 不可思議的，令人難以置信的

6. radar　n. 雷達

7. navigation　n. 導航

8. apparently　adv. 看來，看樣子

9. bizarre　adj. 怪異的

10. stop short of　phr. 打消(做)…的念頭；差點(做出)…

Three­Child Families Are Now Legal in China

Thanks to a change in the law, Chinese families can now have three children if they wish. This reverses previous government policies that had restricted the __1__ of families for decades.

China’s nationwide population control efforts began in the 1970s, when the country faced an exploding population and its economy was still developing. Widespread poverty, both in rural areas and in the cities, made China’s leadership at that time worry about feeding everyone. Therefore, the government enacted a law, __2__ couples to having just one child. This was a huge shock because it went against traditional Chinese culture, which valued large families. Children were highly prized for their labor; every child could do work to help his or her family. Moreover, having male children was considered especially important, for only sons would carry their family name forward and ensure future generations would worship the clan’s ancestors.

Many Chinese were against the one­child policy but could do little to oppose it without being viewed as traitors. Some couples tried to get around the law by __3__ their “surplus” offspring. While some exceptions were made for countryside families who only had daughters, and rich families with connections, the government remained firm and punished most law­breakers with heavy fines. To the world outside China, the one­child policy was seen as a __4__ of Chinese people’s basic human rights.

As time went by and the economic situation improved, Chinese became wealthier. Food was not scarce as it had been previously. In 2016, China’s government relaxed the rule, so couples could have two children.

Now, the government is taking another __5__ back from its heavy­handed role in family planning. To combat a low birth rate, an aging population, and a labor shortage, Chinese couples can now have three children by law.

Fill in the Blanks

1. ______                 2. ______                      3. ______                      4. ______                   5. ______

Vocabulary and Phrases

1. thanks to　phr. 因為，拜…之賜

2. nationwide　adj. 全國性的

3. enact　vt. 制定(法律等)

4. clan　n. 宗族，家族

5. traitor　n. 叛徒

6. surplus　adj. 多餘的

7. economic　adj. 經濟上的

8. heavy-handed　adj. 高壓的，嚴厲的

9. family planning　n. 家庭計畫

10. shortage　n. 短缺，不足