全新版大學英語聽說教程第五冊聽力答案

Unit1

1.Spaceexplorationisexciting.Butitisverycostlyandrisky.

2.Theachievementofsendingastronautstothelunarsurfaceandbackrepresentsthesummitofhumanspaceflight.

3.Sinceancienttimes,peoplehavedreamedofleavingourplanetandexploringotherworlds.

4.RocketswereinventedinChinainaboutthe11thcentury.

5.ChinalauncheditsfirstartificialsatelliteonApril24,1970,butithasn'tputpilotedspacecraftintoorbityet.

6.ThespaceagebeganwiththelaunchofthefirstartificialsatellitebytheSovietUnionin1957.

7.Theabilitytotakepartinspaceexplorationrepresentsthelevelofanation'sscientificandeconomicdevelopment.

8.Beginningin1960weathersatelliteshavesentbacktelevisionimagesofpartsoftheearth.

9.Satellitesystemshaveenabledustoseewhatishappeningaroundtheworld.

10.Withoutsatelliteservices,wewouldn'tbeabletoviewalivetransmissionoftheOlympicGames.

11.Chinaisoneofthenationsthathavetheabilitytoconductlarge-scalespaceexploration.

12.Spaceexplorationhasbroughtaboutgreatchangesinourlives,suchasweatherpredictionandenvironmentalmonitoring.

13.Thecamerasonaspaceshiporsatellitecanprovideawealthofusefuldata.

14.Itisreportedthatanotherspaceship,namedAriane,explodedintheairthreeminutesafteritslaunch.

15.Inthenearfuture,ourcountrywillbeabletosenditsfirstpilotedspaceshipintospace.

16.SovietcosmonautYuriGagarinbecamethefirsthumaninspacein1961.

17.OnJuly20,1969,AmericanastronautNeilArmstrongandothersaboardApollo11madeasuccessfullandingonthemoon.

18.Armstrongleftthefirsthumanfootprintonanotherworld.Hisfamouswordsonthemoonwere,"That'sonesmallstepforman,onegiantleapformankind."

19.Inthefuture,commercialflightsintoEarthorbitmaybecomeavailableandtouristscantakeaspaceshipforsightseeinginspace.

20.Weareconcernedthatonedayasatellitegoingoutofordermaycrashontotheearthandhitus.

21.Aman-madedisastermayoccurintheeventofamalfunctioningspaceshipcrashingintoadenselypopulatedarea.

22.Tosomeextenttheabilitytocarryoutaspaceprogramisameasureofanation'seconomicstrength.

23.ThereusablespaceshuttlesaredesignedtolowerthecostoflaunchingsatellitesintoEarthorbit.

24.In1986theSovietslaunchedthefirstspacestationthatconsistedofdistinctunits,ormodules.

TheWorld'sFirstSpaceTourist(A)

OnMay6,2001,DennisTito,a61-year-oldCaliforniamillionaireandformerNASAengineer,becametheworld'sfirstpayingspacetouristwhentheRussianspaceagencylaunchedhimandtwoRussiancosmonautsaboardarocketforajourneytotheInternationalSpaceStation.

TitoandthecrewblastedofffromthecosmodromeinKazakstanontime.Titoappearedcalm,wearingaspacesuitandasmile.ThetripbytheRussiancrewwasalmostdelayedduetoconcernsexpressedbyNASAthatthespacestationwouldgettoocrowdedwhileanAmericancrewdidsomenecessarycomputerrepairs.FortunatelyforTito,NASAsaidFridaythatithadstruckadealwiththeRussianSpaceAgency,allowinghimtolaunchontimewithoutinterruptingtheAmericancrew'sworkontheailingInternationalSpaceStation.

TitopaidtheRussianspaceagency$20milliontoflyinspace,butRussia'spartnersinthespacestation--especiallyNASA--objected,sayinghislackoftrainingwouldrequireadditionalsafetymeasures.

TitohasbeentrainingattheStarCity,Russiaspacecenter,forayear,learningthedetailsofaSoyuzspacecraftandpracticinghowtosurvivealandinginSiberia.Justdaysbeforethelaunch,heproclaimedthathewaswellprepared.Hesaid,"ThetrainingiswhatcountsandI'vehadasignificantamountoftraining.Andthat,Ithink,coupledwithmyaerospaceengineeringbackground,putsmeinaverystrongposition,asfarasbeingabletofunctioninspace."

Titohasnodutiesduringthemission.Hetoldreporters:"I'mnotafighterpilot,I'mabusinessman,andIwanttobeabletoabsorbasmuchofthisexperienceandrelateittoasmanypeopleasIcan."Hesaidhewouldtakepicturesandtellpeopleabouttheexperienceuponhisreturn.TitosayshislaunchaboardaRussianrocketandsix-daystayontheInternationalSpaceStationdemonstratesthatanyonecan--andshould--experiencespace.

TheWorld'sFirstSpaceTourist(B)

DennisTitoistheoldestchildofworking-classItalianimmigrantswhoseancestorscamefromthetownofTitoinsouthernItaly.Hisfatherwasaprinter,andhismotherwasaseamstress.WhilegrowingupinQueens,N.Y.,Titobecameinterestedinspacetravel.HesayshedreamedofspaceflightwhenhesawSputniklaunchasateenagerin1957.Yes,itwasSputnikthatsparkedhisteenageimagination.

Titoearnedbachelor'sandmaster'sdegreesinaerospaceengineeringandwenttoworkin1964fortheJetPropulsionLaboratoryinPasadena,Calif.HechartedflightpathsforNASA'sMarinerMarsprobes,earning$15,000ayear.Butheyearnedformore--moremoney.

TitofoundedhisowncompanyWilshireAssociatesintheearly1970s,usingthemathematicalintelligencehedevelopedduringhisNASAcareertoanalyzethestockmarketinstead.HisfirmproducestheWilshire500TotalMarketIndex,whichiswatchedbyFederalReserveofficialsasanoverallsnapshotofU.S.stockmarkets.

Byage40,hehadmadehisfirstmillion.Themillionskeptpilingup;theinvestmentfirmnowmanagesmorethan$10billioninassetsandadviseson$1trillioninassets.Hispersonalfortuneisestimatedat$200million.

Tito'spassionsincludeopera,sailingandbuyingfastcars--butdrivingthemslowly.Mostarehousedintheeight-cargarageofhis30,000-square-footmanorhousewithoceanviewsthathebuiltontopofamountaininLosAngeles.

Heandhiswife,Suzanne,divorcedshortlyafterthehousewascompleted.Histhreechildrenareintheir20s.

Withalargedisposableincome,TitotoyedwiththeideaofflyingtoMirintheearly1990s.TheRussianshadjustsentupaJapanesejournalistandaBritishchemistforcash,andTitowantedtobethenextguestcosmonaut.ButtheSovietUnion'scollapseforcedhimtoputhisdreamonhold.

ThespacedreamcamealiveagaininApril2000,whentheMirCorpjointventurecalledinApril2000,inhopesofkeepingMirafloat.

TitoputmillionsintoanaccountthattheRussianspaceprogramcouldaccessoncehewaslaunchedtoMir,andwenttothecosmonautheadquartersintheStarCity,outsideMoscow.There,the5-foot-5,140-pound,fit-lookingbusinessmanthrewhimselfintotraining."TheRussiansdidn'tcutanycorners,"heboasted.

WhenRussiadecidedtosinkits15-year-oldspacestation,officialsofferedTitoanalternativedestination--theInternationalSpaceStation,barely2yearsold.AnotherSoyuzspacecraftwasneededatthespacestationasafreshlifeboat,andthethird,emptyseatwasofferedtohim.

Titowasthrilledwiththechangeintravelplans."They'redifferentstarhotels,"hesaidofthetwospacestations.

HetookspecialdelightinlaunchingfromthesamepadwhereSputniktookoffonOct.4,1957,andwheretheworld'sfirstspaceman,YuriGagarin,tookoffonApril12,1961.

TitowasthethirdAmericantobelaunchedaboardaRussianrocket,butthefirsttolandinaRussianspacecraft.TheSoyuzcapsuleparachutesdownintoremoteKazakstan.

AllthreeofTito'schildrenwereattheBaikonurCosmodromeforhislaunch.Titoinsistedhewasnotafraidorevennervousabouthisflight.

"Ifyou'regoingtodieofnaturalcauses,doesitpaytositathomeandbeafraidtocrossthestreet?"Titosaid."Themainthingis,I'mnotcrazy."

Questions:

1.WherewasTitoborn?

2.WhendidTitofirstbecomefascinatedwithspacetravel?

3.WhatwasTito'smajorinuniversity?

4.WhichofthefollowingmayNOTbethebusinessofTito'sfirm?

5.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaboutTito'shobby?

6.WhatwasthemaincauseofTito'sabandoninghisplantoflytoMirintheearly1990s?

7.WhatcanbeinferredaboutTito'straining?

Unit2

1.Thestrangerlookedatmeskepticallyforafewminutesandthendroveawayfromtheparkinglotwithoutaword.

2.Thoughshe'sstudiedinaforeignlanguageuniversityforseveralyears,sheisastrangertoFrench.

3.Thelittleboyfeltstrangeamidsomanyforeignchildren.

4.ItseemsoddthatJohncouldaffordanewBMW,forhewaslaidofffromhisjobayearago.

5.Shewasverycuriousaboutthewayhecountedthevotesaftertheelectionforschoolpresident.

6.MycuriosityaswellasangerroseasIwatchedhimflipthroughthelettersonmydeskinhisnosyway.

7.Itisquiteindifferenttomewhetheryouagreeordisagreewiththeargumentthatmenarebornevil.

8.It'squeerindeedthatastrangerofferedmeacupofteawhenIwasthirstyonthetrainduringthejourney.

9.Thenewregulationsimposedbythepoliceareveryunusualanditwilltaketimetogetusedtothem.

10.Thatnewspaperisnotoriousforgivingbiasedaccounts.

11.Theoldladyalwayssleptunderthebedwithherclotheson,andthiseccentrichabitofhersactuallysavedherlifewhenanearthquakestruckabruptlyonenight.

12.Toomanypeople,especiallyyoungpeople,liketousescreennamestochatonline.

13.ThoughyoucannottellhowoldyourpalinanInternetroomis,moreoftenthannotyoucantellwhetherthechatterisamaleorafemale.

14.Talkativepersonsaredangerous,fortheyhavenosecretsaboutthemselvesandkeepnosecretsofothers.

15.Ilikeeasy-goingpeopleandfeelrelaxedwhentalkingtothem.Themonitor,forexample,actsandthinksinoneandthesameway.

16.Speechissilver,butsilenceisgold.

17.Facialexpressionsareveryimportant.Wesometimescantellfromthewayastrangertalkswhetherheorsheistrustworthyornot.

18.InstantMessaging,or"IM,"isanewphenomenonthathasrapidlygrowninpopularityaroundtheworldinjustafewyears.SomeexpertsnowbelievethatIMmaybeoneofthemostpopularcomputerapplicationsever.

19.IRCorInternetRelayChattinghasbecomeverypopularontheWorldWideWeb,foritenablespeoplefromdifferentpartsoftheworldtotalktoeachotherviatheInternet.

20.QQisapopularinstantmessagingsystemthatiscommonlyusedinChinaandtheAsia-Pacific.Itenablesreal-timecommunicationbetweenPCs,mobilephonesandpagers.PerhapsitisoneofthebestwaystodevelopcontactsinChina.

21.ItisreportedthatthenumberofregisteredQQusersinChinahasexceeded7million.OnFebruary18th,2003alone,thenumberofQQusersonlinewas2,950,693.

22.MobileQQisaservicethatseamlesslyallowsthecustomer'sPC-basedinstantmessagingservicetobecomeintegratedwithhisorhermobilephone,allowingthecustomertostayintouchwithPC-ormobile-basedcontactsfromjustaboutanywhere.

TheUmbrellaMan(PartOne)

I'mgoingtotellyouaboutafunnythingthathappenedtomymotherandmeyesterdayevening.Yesterdayafternoon,mymothertookmetoLondontoseethedentist.Afterthat,wewenttoacafe.Whenwecameoutofthecafe,itwasraining."Wemustgetataxi,"mymothersaid.Lotsofthemcameby,buttheyallhadpassengersinsidethem.

Justthenamancameuptous.Hewasasmallmanandhewasprobablyseventyormore.Hesaidtomymotherpolitely,"Excuseme."Hewasunderanumbrellawhichheheldhighoverhishead.

"Yes?"mymothersaid,verycoolanddistant.

"IwonderifIcouldaskasmallfavourofyou,"hesaid.Isawmymotherlookingathimsuspiciously.Sheisasuspiciousperson,mymother.Thelittlemanwassaying,"Ineedsomehelp."

Mymotherwasstaringdownathimalongthefulllengthofhernose.Iwantedtosaytoher,"Ohmummy,he'saveryoldman,andhe'spolite,andhe'sinsomesortoftrouble,sobenicetohim."ButIdidn'tsayanything.

"I'veneverforgottenitbefore,"hesaid.

"You'veneverforgottenwhat?"mymotherasked.

"Mywallet,"hesaid."Imust'veleftitinmyotherjacket."

"Areyouaskingmetogiveyoumoney?"mymothersaid.

"No,I'mofferingyouthisumbrellatoprotectyouandtokeep,ifyouwouldgivemeapoundformytaxifarejusttogetmehome."

"Whydon'tyouwalkhome?"mymotherasked.

"Oh,Idon'tthinkIcouldmanageit.I'vegonetoofaralready."

Theideaofgettinganumbrellatoshelterwasveryattractive.

"It'salovelysilkumbrella,"thelittlemansaid."Whydon'tyoutakeit,madam?Itcostmeovertwentypounds,butthatisn'timportantbecauseIwanttogethome."

"Idon'tthinkit'squiterightthatIshouldtakeanumbrellafromyouworthtwentypounds.IthinkI'dbetterjustgiveyouthetaxifare."

"No,no,no!"hecried."Iwouldneveracceptmoneyfromyoulikethat!Taketheumbrella,dearlady,andkeeptherainoffyourshoulders."

Shetookoutapoundandgaveittothelittleman.Hetookitandgavehertheumbrella.Hesaid,"Thankyou,madam,thankyou."Thenhewasgone.

TheUmbrellaMan(PartTwo)

"Comeunderhereandkeepdry,darling,"mymothersaid."Aren'twelucky!I'veneverhadasilkumbrellabefore.""Whywereyousounpleasanttohim?"Iasked.

"Iwantedtobesurehewasagentleman.I'mverypleasedIwasabletohelphim."

"Therehegoes,"Isaid."Overthere.He'scrossingthestreet.He'sinahurry."

Wewatchedthelittleman.Whenhereachedtheothersideofthestreet,heturnedleft,walkingveryfast.

"Hedoesn'tlookverytired,doeshe,mummy?Hedoesn'tlookasifhe'stryingtogetataxi,either."

Mymotherwasstandingverystill."He'suptosomething.Comewithme."Wecrossedthestreettogether.Itwasrainingveryhardnow,butwewereunderthesilkumbrella.

"Hesaidhewastootiredtowalkandnowhe'salmostrunning."

"He'sdisappeared!"Icried."Where'shegone?"

"Hewentinthatdoor!"Itwasapub.Theroomwewerelookingintowasfullofpeopleandcigarettesmoke,andourlittlemanwasinthemiddleofitall,withouthishatandcoat,andmovingtowardsthebar.Whenhereachedit,hespoketothebarman.Thebarmangavehimadrink.Thelittlemangavehimapound.Thebarmandidn'tgivehimanychange.Thelittlemandrankitinonego.

"That'saveryexpensivedrink,"Isaid.

Hewassmilingnow.Hewenttowherehishatandcoatwere.Heputonhishat.Heputonhiscoat.Thenveryquickly,hetookfromtherackoneofthemanywetumbrellas,andleft.

"Didyouseethat!"mymothershouted.

"Sssh!"Iwhispered."He'scomingout."

Hedidn'tseeus.Heopenedhisnewumbrellaandwentdowntheroad.Wefollowedhimbacktothemainstreetwherewemethimfirst,andwewatchedasheexchangedhisnewumbrellaforanotherpound.Thistimeitwaswithatall,thinmanwhodidn'tevenhaveahatoracoat.Whenitwasoverhewentoffagain,thistimeintheoppositedirection.

"Henevergoesintothesamepubtwice,"mymothersaid."Iexpecthe'salwayshopingforarainyday."

Questions:

1.Whywasthemothersounpleasanttotheoldmanatfirst?

2.Whatmadethenarratorandhermotherbelievethattheoldmanwasnottellingthetruth?

3.Whatcanbeconcludedaboutthesilkumbrellathattheoldmansold?

4.Whatcanbeinferredabouttheoldgentleman?

unit3

1.Havingaskepticalmindmeanskeepinganopenmindandbasingyourbeliefs,sofaraspossible,onthetotalavailableevidence.

2.Youbelievethateverythingis"explainable"inprinciple,andtheonlydifferencebetweenamiracleandanaturalphenomenonisthatyouarenotableyettoexplaintheformerinnaturalterms.

3.Skepticismisessentiallyawayofevaluatingotherpeople'sbeliefsandformingyourown.

4.Skepticsbelievethatinmattersoftheintellect,weoughttofollowourreasonsofarasitispossible.

5.SkepticismdoesnotnecessarilyprecludebeliefinGodoranafterlife.Itmaybetruethatmostskepticsareatheistsanddoubtthepossibilityofanafterlife.

6.ItisamistaketothinkthatweoughttoeitherbelieveinGodornotbelieveinGodbecauseofthepsychologicalbenefitsofdoingso.

7.Beingaskepticmeansbeingamatureadultwhotakesresponsibilityforhisorherownlifeandwhomakeshisorherownjudgments.

8.Sometimespeople'sopinionsareinfluencedbythemediaandbywhatissaidoverandoveragain.

9.Skepticismisaprimarytoolofscience,butunbridleddisbeliefisathreattothedevelopmentofscience.

10.However,itmustbeadmittedthatouractualknowledgeofnaturallawsisimperfectandlimited,sothatthebeliefintheexistenceofbasicall-embracinglawsinNaturealsorestsonasortoffaith.

11.ApollowasthenamegiventoanyofaseriesofmannedU.S.spacecraftdesignedtoexploretheMoonandsurroundingspace.

12.OnJuly16,1969,thecrewofApollo11--NeilArmstrong,MikeCollins,andBuzzAldrin--headedofftoattemptthefirstlunarlanding.

13.InApril1970Apollo13almostendedtragicallywhenanoxygentankinsidetheservicemoduleexploded.

14.On19thDecember1972thereturnoftheastronautsaboardApollo17afterthesixthsuccessfulMoonlandingmarkedtheendoftheApolloera.

15.Overthepastthirtyyears,manypeoplehavebeenpersuadedthattheApollomissionsneveractuallytookplaceandthereforerepresentthelargesthoaxinhistory.

16.ItwouldbequiteeasyformetostatethatthepeoplewhobelievethattheApolloMoonlandingswerefakedarewrongorjustmad.

17.MypresentinterestinApolloishistorical.IlovethedetailsofhowandwhytheApollospacecraftworkedaswellasthedetailsofthelunarexploration.

18.Iwatchedastronautscarryingoutexperiments,pickingupMoonrocks,takingpicturesandsoforth,especiallyduringthelastfewflightstotheMoon.

19.Butitwasn'tuntillaterthatIreallyunderstoodhowandwhytheywouldpickaparticularrocktosampleorcratertovisit.

20.TheInternetisquicklygrowingintothelargestandmostcomplexwebofinformationourworldhaseverknown.

21.Therearefewfiltersthatseparatereliableinformationfromfalseandmisleadingdata.

22.Wearepresentedwithpilesuponpilesofideas,claimsandunusualphenomenawithoutatoolkittohelpussortoutthegoodfromthebad.

DidWeLandontheMoon?

Lastweekmyphonerang.Itwasmymotherandshewasveryupset.

"Tony!"sheexclaimed,"Ijustcamefromthecoffeeshopandthere'saguydowntherewhosaysNASAneverlandedontheMoon.Everyonewastalkingaboutit...Ijustdidn'tknowwhattosay!"

Thatlastbitwashardtoswallow,Ithought.Mom'sneveratalossforwords.

Butevenmoreincrediblewasthecontroversythatswirledthroughthesmalltownandplaceslikeitacrossthecountry.Afteralongabsence,the"MoonHoax"wasback.

AllthedebatesabouttheMoonlandingbeganonThursday,February15,2001whentheFoxTelevisionnetworkairedaprogramcalled"ConspiracyTheory:DidWeLandontheMoon?"Itwasre-airedonMarch19.Theprogramwashostedby"X-Files"actorMitchPileggi.Theprogramwasanhourlong,andfeaturedinterviewswithaseriesofpeoplewhobelievethatNASAfakedtheApolloMoonlandingsinthe1960sand1970s.ThebiggestvoiceinthisisBillKaysing,whoclaimstohaveallsortsofhoaxevidence,includingpicturestakenbytheastronauts,engineeringdetails,discussionsofphysicsandevensometestimonybyastronautsthemselves.Theprogram'sconclusionwasthatthewholethingwasfakedintheNevadadesert.Accordingtothem,NASAtechnologyinthe1960sdidnothavethetechnicalcapabilityofgoingtotheMoon.Instead,anxioustowintheSpaceRaceanywayitcould,NASAactedouttheApolloprograminmoviestudios.NeilArmstrong'shistoricfirststepsonanotherworld,theMoonvehicleandtheAmericanflag--itwasallafake!

FortunatelytheSovietsdidn'tthinkitwasahoax.Otherwise,theycouldhavefilmedtheirownfakeMoonlandingsandreallyembarrassedthefreeworld.

Accordingtotheshow,NASAwasablunderingmovieproducerthirtyyearsago.ThehoaxbelieverspointedoutalotofdiscrepanciesinApolloimagery.Forexample,picturesofastronautstransmittedfromtheMoondon'tincludestarsinthedarklunarsky--anobviousproductionerror!Whathappened?DidNASAfilm-makersforgettoturnontheconstellations?

Here'sanotherone.PicturesofApolloastronautserectingaUSflagontheMoonshowtheflagbendingandwaving.Howcanthatbe?Afterall,there'snobreezeontheMoon...

"Onesmallstepforman,onegiantleapformankind."TheseimmortalwordswerespokenwhenAmericanastronautNeilArmstrongfirstsetfootontheMoonin1969.Ordidhe?

unit4

1.UFOsstandforUnidentifiedFlyingObjects.Somepeoplealsocallthemflyingsaucers,becausetheirshapeslooklikesaucers.

2.Initsbroadersense,theUFOincludesanyobjectorlight,reportedlysightedinthesky,thatcannotbeimmediatelyexplainedbytheobserver.

3.Irememberasachild,IwouldsaveeverypennymymothergavemetobuythelatestUFOmagazinesfromthegrocerystore.

4.WecannotdenytheexistenceoftheUFOphenomenonsimplybecausewehavenotseenitorcannotexplainit.

5.Sciencehasitslimitationsandmanymysteriesthroughouttheworldhaveremainedunsolved.

6.Sightingsofunusualaerialphenomenadatebacktoancienttimes.

7.Theearlycavepaintingsandancientscripturesseemtoindicatethatwemayhavehadvisitorsfromotherworldsorplanetsinthepast.

8.Infact,ancientscripturesfrommanydifferentcultureswouldgiveustheimpressionthatwe'vehadvisitorsfromouterspace.

9.Howdoyouexplainancienttalesofchariotsfromthesky?Andwhatareflyingshipsappearinginsciencefictionnovelsbeforethefirstplanewaseverthoughtabout?

10.EventheBiblehasbeensuggestedaspossibleevidenceofaliencontact,foritsnumerousaccountsofobjectsinthesky,andotherstrangeevents.

11.WhatsecretsliewithancientEgypt,Stonehenge,orpossiblyevenAtlantis?Havethereindeedbeenmoreadvancedcivilizationsofmanthathavesomehowbeenlost?

12.SomeUFOenthusiastsevenclaimtohavebeenabductedandtakenaboardUFOs.Butsofar,noonehasproducedscientificallyacceptableproofoftheseclaims.

13.SomepeoplebelievethatUFOsareextraterrestrialspacecraft,eventhoughnoscientificallyvalidevidencesupportsthatbelief.

14.Scientistsspeculatethatintelligentlifemaywellexistelsewhereintheuniverse.

15.InadditiontomanyreportsandsightingsofUFOs,observershaveprovidedphotographsorevenvideos.

16.UFOsbecamewidelydiscussedonlyafterthefirstwidelypublicizedU.S.sightingin1947.Manythousandsofsuchobservationshavesincebeenreportedworldwide.

17.From1947to1969theU.S.AirForceinvestigatedUFOsasapossiblethreattonationalsecurity.

18.Atotalof12,618reportswerereceived,ofwhich701or5.6percentwerelistedasunexplained.

19.Since1969noagencyoftheU.S.governmenthashadanyactiveprogramofUFOinvestigation.

20.In1997theU.S.CentralIntelligenceAgency(CIA)admittedthattheU.S.militaryhaddeceivedtheAmericanpublicinanefforttohideinformationabouthigh-altitudespyplanes.

21.Atleast90percentofUFOsightingscanbeidentifiedasconventionalobjects,althoughtime-consuminginvestigationsareoftennecessaryforsuchidentification.

22.TheobjectsmostoftenmistakenforUFOsarebrightplanetsandstars,aircraft,birds,balloons,kites,aerialflares,peculiarclouds,meteors,andsatellites.

AUFOinMyYard(PartOne)

Itwasonea.m.onecoldfallnightin1968.Iwas21then,andwascominghomefromadate.IhadjustdroppedoffmygirlfriendandwasheadingbacktoFranksville,aruraltowninWisconsin.AsIturnedlefttogoeastonSevenMileRoad,Isawextremelybrightlightsstreamingoutfromthedistance.

Myheartskippedabeat.Whatwasproducingthesestrangelightsvisiblefromahalfmileaway?Ithoughtitwasahouseonfire.Thelightsseemedtoemanatefromtheareawheremyhousewaslocated.Myparentsandtwobrotherswereprobablyinbedbynow.AsIacceleratedandturnedontothetownstreet,franticthoughtsranthroughmymind.Wasthehouseburningdown?Wasmyfamilytrappedinside?

AsIracedtowardmyhouse,Inoticedthattheyardsofmyhouseandmyneighbors'wereilluminatedasifitwereday.ThenIsawthesourceofthestrangelight.Itwasn'tahousefire,asIhadfeared.ItwasapossibilityIwouldhaveneveranticipated,onethatwasperhapsevenmorefearsomethanthehousefireIhadimagined.

Hoveringmotionlessonly50feetabovetherooftopswasastrangeobject.Roundandsilvery,itwasapproximately300-400feetindiameter.Inthewakeofthehoveringenigma,therewasaneeriesilence.Istuckmyheadoutthedriver'ssidewindowtogetacloserlookatwhatIguessedwassomekindofaircraft.

Itlookedmadeofaluminum,exceptfortwoconesthatprotrudedfromthetopandbottomofthecraft'scenter.Bothconesseemedtobemadeofaglass-likematerial.Thetopconewaswhite,whilethebottomconeglowedyellow.Whitelightscircledtheyellowconeontheundersideofthecraft.Eachlightwasabout3-4feetindiameter.

Itdidn'tlooklikeanyconventionalaircraftIhadeverseen.Itlookedlikeaflyingsaucerfromamovie.Wasthiswhatanalienspaceshiptrulylookedlike?

Iponderedwhattodo.IfIpulledintothedrivewayIwouldbeputtingmyselfdirectlybeneaththecraft.Iconsideredturningthecararoundandspeedingaway.

Statements:

1.Thenarratorsawastrangebrightlightinthedistancewhenheandhisgirlfriendwereinthecar.

2.Atfirstthenarratorthoughtthatthebrightlightswerefromahouseonfire,possiblyhisownhouse.

3.Thestrangedazzlinglightscamefromaroundandsilverydish-likeobject,whichwasaboutthreetofourfeetindiameter.

4.Thenarratorfeltthatdangerthreatenedbecausetheobjectwasnotlikeanyconventionalaircrafthehadeverseen.

5.Thenarratorwasatalossatthesightofthefearsomeobjectandconsideredrunningawayfromthescene.

6.Theincidentshowedthatthoughthenarratorwasayoungman,hedisplayedaremarkablecalmnessinthepresenceofdanger.

AUFOinMyYard(Part