TASK 3

Practicing for Alien Contact: A New Experiment Sends a Fake Alien

Signal from Mars to Earth
May 23, 2023

The SETI Institute, which stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is
trying a new experiment. They've made up a pretend alien signal and they're sending it
from a spaceship around Mars back to Earth. The goal is to see if we can figure out what
it means.
Scientists have always wondered why we haven't heard from aliens yet. Maybe
they've tried to contact us, but we didn't understand their messages. This project, named
"A Sign in Space", is like a practice session. Scientists from all over the world will try to
decode the pretend signal. This could help us be ready if aliens really do try to talk to us
one day.
This project gives people a chance to think about what it would be like to get a
message from aliens. The signal will be sent to Earth by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter,
a spacecraft from the European Space Agency.
Three big radio telescopes, including one in California, will listen for the signal.
When they hear it, they will share the data with everyone, and the project will officially
begin. There's also an online community where scientists and regular people from around
the world can talk about the project.
This experiment is a chance for people to learn how scientists would work
together to understand a message from aliens. It will take more than just knowledge of
astronomy to communicate with extraterrestrial life.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Who owns the spacecraft that is sending the pretend signal to Earth?
a) SETI Institute b) NASA
c) European Space Agency d) The Government of California

2. What is the source of the pretend alien signal?

a) A spaceship around Mars b) An underground lab on Earth
c) The European Space Agency d) The moon

3. Where can people discuss the project?

a) At the SETI Institute only b) At the European Space Agency
c) On Mars d) In an online community

4. What will happen when the signal is received on Earth?

a) Earth will declare war against Mars.
b) The data will be shared with everyone.
c) All radio telescopes will be shut down
d) We will know that aliens are real.
5. What is the primary goal of the "A Sign in Space" project?
a) To make contact with real aliens
b) To build a new spaceship
c) To discover new planets
d) To decode a pretend alien signal

6. Why is the SETI Institute sending a pretend alien signal from Mars to Earth?
a) To prepare for potential real alien contact
b) To test new radio telescope technology
c) To establish a colony on Mars
d) To confirm the existence of aliens

7. What do scientists hope to gain from this project?

a) Information about Mars's climate
b) Clues about the existence of extraterrestrial life
c) Experience and readiness for a possible alien message
d) Detailed maps of alien civilizations

8. Which of the following best describes the nature of the "A Sign in Space" project?
a) It's a mission to colonize Mars
b) It's a practice session for decoding alien signals
c) It's a mission to find intelligent life on Mars
d) It's a project to build the biggest telescope on Earth

9. Why might this project be important for the future?

a) It could lead to the discovery of alien life
b) It will enable us to colonize Mars
c) It helps us prepare for understanding potential alien messages
d) It will prove the existence of extraterrestrial life

10. What is the main idea of the article?

a) Scientists have confirmed the existence of aliens.
b) A pretend alien signal is being sent from Mars to Earth as an experiment.
c) The SETI Institute is building a new spaceship for Mars exploration.
d) Three new radio telescopes have been built in California.
 Drawing Conclusions Worksheet
Read each passage and select the best answer.

He had always wanted to serve is country, but this seemed like madness. He was supposed to fight a war in a
foreign land, helping to protect people whom he didn’t even know. Michael had a strong sense of patriotism,
but he was worried about the bombs, death, and carnage that could await him in Iraq. He pondered whether he
would ever see his family again.

1. What conclusions can you draw about how Michael is feeling about going to war?
a) he regrets joining the military
b) he is afraid of going into battle
c) he is looking forward to the challenge of being in the military
d) he feels proud of his country

The detective had planned to pull all of the suspects into a room. He had already questioned each of them
thoroughly and it was something Mr. Mooney had said that really made him think. Mooney had mentioned
how horrible it was that Ms. Hitchens had been killed with a knife while the information on the murder
weapon was never public. When the detective questioned him on how he knew about the murder weapon he
said he had just assumed that was the case. Now with all the possible suspects in the room, detective
Williams was ready to make an arrest.

2. Who most likely killed Ms. Hitchens? ___________________________________________________

3. What conclusions can you draw about Mr. Mooney’s feelings?

a) he thinks he had gotten away with the crime
b) he is ready to run and try and get away
c) he thinks that detective Williams will probably accuse him
d) he thinks Ms. Hitchens could have committed suicide

Video gaming is one of the largest industries in America. Each day more and more children are getting
addicted to video games. There have been many video game opponents accusing the industry of becoming
too violent. It is not uncommon to play a shoot’em up game where ten people are getting killed every minute.
Yet, despite societal pressures to eliminate violent video games, as each day passes, more gamers are getting
hooked.

4. What is the general age group of people who are getting hooked on gaming? ________________________

5. What conclusions can you draw about the video game industry?
a) as time goes on, pressure to make games less violent will decrease the number of shooting games
b) as time goes on more parents will prevent their children from playing violent video games
c) as time goes on the video game industry will lose money
d) as time goes on more and more children will play video games