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Advanced level English - USA

by Ken Evans

Nevada and its Extraterrestrials

Are they for real ? Some people are quite sure that creatures from another
planet are present on Earth. And of course they are hiding in the USA - in
Nevada, to be precise
Ever since it was opened up in the 19th century, the American West has attracted people looking for
adventure, people with imagination, people with their own ideas, their own beliefs , often quite weird
and wonderful beliefs. Perhaps not surprisingly therefore, it is a region also frequented by UFO's..... or
so they say! And to confirm it all, there is in the state of Nevada an officially designated
"Extraterrestrial" highway, for the benefit of anyone who hopes to see little green men....

It was probably
destined to happen; the
ingredients have been
there for a long time.
There's Nevada, with
its sparsely traveled
highways and huge
open spaces, where
the imagination can run
wild; and right in the
middle of the state, a
remote super-secret
military area, off-limits
to all except a group of
tight-lipped employees.
That place and those
circumstances were
sure to breed rumors
and stories; and in Nevada's Extraterrestrial Highway 375.
time, those rumors and
stories became legends and myths. And that is how a very lonesome road, Nevada State Route 375, has come
to be known as the Extraterrestrial Highway.
 There have always been strange things in the sky out there. During the 1950's, there were mushroom clouds
from above-ground nuclear tests. Locals and visitors alike, oblivious of the risks, used to plan parties round
the scheduled explosions, known as "shots".
Day and night there were other weird sightings overhead; oddly-shaped aircraft with no markings would roar
across the deserted highway right in front of you, when you were all by yourself on the road, then disappear
over the hill before you had time to remember that you had a camera in the back of the car.

People talked to each other; news reporters talked to the military; and the military talked to nobody. Officials
denied the very existence of any secret bases, such as the infamous Area 51, also known as "Dreamland",
near the tiny town of Rachel, Nevada. And yet all anyone had to do was to climb a hill, look over the top, and
see that, yes, there was indeed a base, with aircraft coming and going.

For some people, there could only be one explanation; the government had to be hiding aliens there;
maybe, people suggested, the U.S.Air Force was even test-piloting alien craft that had crash-landed at various
places on Earth. Or perhaps the government was secretly exchanging scientists with extraterrestrials. A
wonderful rumor became very popular with UFOlogists, namely that a group of extraterrestrial scientists were at
work at Area 51 Base, while a contingent of Earthling scientists was on some far-away planet, finding a cure for
the common cold.
The most famous UFO-believer was a man called Bob Lazar, who drew national attention to the area in 1989
when he publicly claimed to have seen alien ships captured by the military. He supposedly saw them while
employed as a physicist at the base.

For those with less fantastic imaginations, the "mysteries" of the area had a more prosaic explanation,
mainly that the US Air Force is secretive about the base simply because it is used, as it has been for the
past 50 or so years, to develop new military aircraft such as the U-2 and the F117-A "Stealth" fighter.
Unfortunately, for instance, this top-secret plane was captured in flight one sunny afternoon by a Las Vegas
photographer, before the U.S. Air Force had revealed its existence. Shown the picture, an Air Force
spokesman claimed not to know what it was! No wonder that rumors proliferated!
Confirmed UFOlogists, however, remain convinced that the very remote area around Area Base 51 is
frequented by extraterrestrials and that the US military is in contact with them; and so it is that the minuscule
town of Rachel, population 100 people and a few dogs, now promotes itself as the UFO capital of America.
Visitors now come from all over the USA and beyond, to drive along the 98-mile highway and stop off for a bite
or a night at the social center of Rachel, the Little A "Le" Inn, (Get it? A "Le" Inn = Alien.... and in American, the
pronunciation is virtually the same.) which serves as café, bar, hotel and UFO Information Center.

Owners Joe and Pat Travis have covered the walls with photos of flying objects, and have a library of 150
volumes devoted to UFOlogy, which visitors are free to look through.
New edition - The acclaimed
WORDS Linguapress grammar now in a new
weird: bizarre - UFO: Unidentified Flying Object - sparse: infrequent - American English edition - From
remote: distant - off-limits: inaccessible - alike: both, together -
oblivious to: not worried by - aliens: people from space - craft:
spacecraft - prosaic: ordinary - spokesman: representative - inn: hotel
--

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WORKSHEET

Nevada and its Extraterrestrials

Careful reading . Here is a résumé using information from the article: unfortunately, it contains vocabulary or
factual 20 errors. Underline them, and suggest suitable alternatives.

Nevada's Route State 375 has just been officially designated as the Extraterrestrial Highway,
and Rachel, the small town in the middle of it (population 1000 people and few dogs) has become
the UFO capital of America.
For many years, people have been coming to the region round Rachel to look for Unified Flying
Objects and watch the flying saucers that are often seen in the sky in this removed part of the
Nevada desert. And there have been lots of strange things to see, included mushrooms and
marked planes.
There was a popular rumor that the U.S. Air Force was pilot-testing alien aircraft at the secret
Area Base 51 nearby. Some people ever suggested that there were aliens leaving at the base, and
that the American government had sent scientifics to work on another plant.
However, the presence of strange people in the sky in Rachel probably has a much more
fantastic explanation, namely that for years the U.S. Air Force has been tasting its new secret
spacecraft at Area Base 51.

Prepositions and adverbs.

Interactive - use on screen or on paper:
Replace all the missing prepositions and adverbs in this extract from the article.
(To save your answers, take a screenshot when you have made your choices)

There have been strange things the sky there. the

1950's, there were mushroom clouds -ground nuclear tests. Locals and visitors
alike, oblivious the risks, used to plan parties the scheduled explosions, known
"shots".
Day and night there were other weird sightings ; oddly-shaped aircraft no
markings would roar the deserted highway right you, when you were all
yourself the road, then disappear the hill you had time to
remember that you had a camera the back of the car.
For teachers

Creative writing :

Either imagine that you have just visited Rachel, Nevada. Write a letter home to a friend of yours who is
fanatically interested in UFO's and the paranormal. Your letter must include the following words, in this order.
very remote / flying saucers / aliens / secret oper­ations / mysterious / little green men

Or; produce a tourist brochure for Rachel.

Both exercises: length, about 200 words.

Prepositions and adverbs exercise: You may want to give your students the list or words and expressionsthat
they will need . Here it is.
above across always as before by during from in in in front of of out over overhead
round with on .

Vocabulary:
Some expressions such as tight-lipped and breed rumours may need explaining. Can your students suggest
their meanings ?

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Advanced level English resource

Level - Plain English.

CEFR LEVEL : B2
IELTS Level : 5 - 6

Flesch-Kincaid scores
Reading ease level:
57 - Plain English
Grade level: 10 - 11

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