UNIT 12: LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS

A. PHONETICS
I. Add ful or less to these words to make an adjective (some words can use either suffix).
Then mark the stressed syllables.
1. sound _____________ 11. wonder _____________
2. harm _____________ 12. weight _____________
3. hope _____________ 13. speech _____________
4. thought _____________ 14. power _____________
5. help _____________ 15. breath _____________
6. colour _____________ 16. peace _____________
7. water _____________ 17. home _____________
8. forget _____________ 18. beauty _____________
9. care _____________ 19. success _____________
10. delight _____________ 20. emotion _____________

II. Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Then read the sentences aloud.

useless thoughtful flightless meaningful purposeful

tearless truthful wonderful homeless careless

1. The data isn’t very___________ to anyone but a scientist.
2. Daisy is absolutely___________! She isn’t afraid of anyone or anything.
3. Looking at the Earth from outer space is___________, especially at night.
4. One of the___________ birds we studied is the ostrich.
5. My score was low because I made some___________ mistakes.
6. What a lovely present! That was very___________ of you.
7. Mom and Dad taught us that it is important to be.
8. They are going to build temporary accommodation for the___________.
9. You must remember to recharge your phone. Without its battery, it’s___________.
10. He desired to lead a more___________ life.

B. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR

I. Match the planets with their descriptions.
1. Mercury a. It is nicknamed “The Red Planet” because of the rust on its surface.
2. Venus b. It is often called “The Water
3. Earth c. It has a rocky surface. It is the smallest in our solar System and the
closest to the sun.
4. Mars d. It is the largest planet in our solar System and the fifth planet from
the sun. It is composed of mostly gas and has a great red spot.
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5. Jupiter e. It is the coldest planet in our solar System and is the seventh planet
from the Sun. It is a giant gas planet and it rotates on its side.
6. Saturn f. It is the hottest planet in our solar system and is the closest planet to
Earth in size.
7. Uranus g. It has a cold surface, is blue in color from the gas in its atmosphere
and is the furthest from the sun.
8. Neptune h. It is the second largest planet and is known best for its rings made of
ice and rock chunks.

II. Complete the sentences with the words or phrases in the box.
galaxy planet flying saucer solar system astronaut
outer space space buggy weightless aliens traces

1. A___________ is sometimes referred to as an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO).

2. An___________ is a person who is trained for travelling in a spacecraft.
3. Researchers made the amazing findings of___________of water on Mars.
4. A___________ is a vehicle used for driving on the moon.
5. Our___________ is made up of the sun and all the objects that travel around it.
6. Earth is the only known to be habitable to___________ life.
7. Do you believe___________ exist on other planets?
8. Spacecraft are vehicles used for travel in___________.
9. Our___________, the Milky Way, consists of 100 - 400 billion stars.
10. Astronauts on the orbiting space station are___________ because they do not experience
a force of gravity.

III. Choose the best answers to complete the sentences.

1. ___________ is the name of a planet that matches the Roman God of the sea.
A. Mars B. Sun C. Venus D. Neptune
2. Discovered in the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune, ___________ is a dwarf planet.
A. Jupiter B. Pluto C. Saturn D. Mercury
3. Unidentified Flying Objects or “___________” haven’t been formally recognized.
A. UFOs B. spaceships C. space shuttles D. spacecraft
4. Some people believe the___________ was created by a big explosion.
A. galaxy B. atmosphere C. universe D. outer space
5. ___________ is named after the Roman God of war.
A. Uranus B. Jupiter C. Mars D. Venus
6. A (n) ___________is a scientist who studies the stars and planets.
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A. captain B. alien C. astronaut D. astronomer
7. Astronauts___________ around in space because there is no gravity in space.
A. fly B. float C. walk D. trace
8. In a weightless environment, everything floats___________.
A. uncontrollably B. downwards C. smoothly D. constantly
9. On June 2, 1966, Surveyor 1 becomes the first U.S.___________ to land on the moon.
A. flying saucer B. airplane C. spacecraft D. helicopter
10. Mars is the most___________ planet in our Solar System besides Earth.
A. powerful B. notable C. appropriate D. habitable

IV. Complete the sentences using may (not) or might (not). Where two answers are
possible, write them both.
1. Aliens___________ exist in ways that we can’t even imagine.
2. Many scientists think that there___________ be life on other planets.
3. Scientists said that farthest stars in Milky Way___________ be cut by another galaxy.
4. I___________ go to the party because I’m not feeling very well.
5. In the future, it___________ be possible to build a spaceship that can travel to distant
planet.
6. I have an appointment at the dentist’s at 4.00. ___________I leave half an hour early?
7. Astronomers thought the dwarf planet 2007 OR10___________ have a moon.
8. If we found water on Mars, we___________ use it to make rocket fuel.
9. The examiner says we___________ leave when we’ve finished.
10. Some scientists think aliens___________ have two legs, or any legs at all.

V. Underline the correct answers.

1. Levy asked me what / why the future life looked like.
2. Mr. Brown asked me if / how I had ever visited NASA.
3. Dr. Memphis asked me where humans could / may live besides Earth.
4. Stoner asked me if Voyager 2 had passed / has passed Saturn.
5. Davy asked me what the aliens will / would be doing when he might saw them.
6. Christina asked me where / if scientists had responded to the signs from outer space.
7. Norman asked me when / whether Mercury had been discovered.
8. Jacob asked me how much I knew / had known about the Red Planet.
9. Richard asked his teacher whether / why there was life on other planets.
10. Roy asked me if I was meeting / had met Val the previous day.

VI. Complete the reported yes/ no questions.

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1. ‘May I ask you a few questions?’
The woman asked John_______________________________________________
2. ‘Have you done your project about space exploration?’
The teacher asked me________________________________________________
3. ‘Will we be able to live on Mars in 2050?’
Debbie asked her father_______________________________________________
4. ‘Are you having a barbecue tonight?’
I asked the Browns___________________________________________________
5. ‘Do you like sci-fi films that feature extraterrestrial life?’
Jane asked Tom_____________________________________________________
6. ‘Did scientists find life on Mars many years ago?’
Val asked me_______________________________________________________
7. ‘Are aliens or UFOs real?’
Many people wondered_______________________________________________
8. ‘Can we go to the National Museum tomorrow?’
Sally asked her best friend_____________________________________________
9. ‘Do you know NASA has found two new planets?’
Duc asked Trang_____________________________________________________
10. ‘Were you here yesterday?’
She wanted to know__________________________________________________

VII. Complete the reported wh- questions.

1. ‘Where will we live in 20 years’ time?’
Jane asked me_______________________________________________________
2. ‘How was your trip to Toronto?’
I asked Peter_________________________________________________________
3. ‘Why didn’t Judy wait for fireballs last night?’
Sue asked___________________________________________________________
4. ‘How many planets are there in the solar System?’
The teacher asked us___________________________________________________
5. ‘How many days does it take to get to Mars from Earth?’
Elliot wanted to know__________________________________________________
6. ‘What are you staring at?’
I asked Sally_________________________________________________________
7. ‘Who discovered the planet Neptune?’
Joe asked his teacher__________________________________________________
8. ‘How long have you been living on the International Space Station?’
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He asked the astronaut_________________________________________________
9. ‘When will humans go to Venus?’
The students wanted to know____________________________________________
10. ‘Where are you going this summer holidays?’
I asked Sally and Andy_________________________________________________

VIII. Rewrite each sentence as reported speech with tense and time and place
expression changes.
1. ‘I was here three months ago,’ Tim said.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. ‘When does the next train leave?’ He wanted to know.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. ‘Are you meeting Judy at four o’clock today?’ She asked me.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. I’ve already seen this exhibition,’ Jane told me.
_____________________________________________________________________
5. ‘Who did you meet at the party last night?’ My mother asked.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. ‘We are having dinner now, so I can only talk for a minute,’ Miki said.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. ‘May I use your phone?’ I asked Peter.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. ‘Public spending will be increased next year/ the Prime Minister announced.
_____________________________________________________________________
9. ‘My father drinks a cup of coffee every morning before going to work.’ Peter said.
_____________________________________________________________________
10. ‘How long have you lived here?’ Cheryl asked the old woman.
_____________________________________________________________________

IX. Choose the correct answers.

1. ‘There was an accident outside the supermarket.’
A. He said there had been an accident outside the supermarket.
B. He said there was an accident outside the supermarket.
C. He said there has been an accident outside the supermarket.
2. ‘Have you ever seen a UFO?’
A. Jim wanted to know if had I ever seen a UFO.
B. Jim asked if I had ever seen a UFO.
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C. Jim asked whether I ever saw a UFO.
3. She asked if you’d seen her painting on display in the exhibit.
A. ‘Will you see my painting on display in the exhibit?’
B. ‘Did you see my painting on display in the exhibit?’
C. ‘Have you seen her painting on display in the exhibit?’
4. I’m flying to India tomorrow.’
A. Yesterday, Matt said that he was flying to India tomorrow.
B. Yesterday, Matt told me that I was flying to India the next day.
C. Yesterday, Matt said that he was flying to India the following day.
5. ‘Why did you go out last night?’
A. She asked me why I had gone out the night before.
B. She asked me why did I go out the previous night.
C. She wanted to know why I went out that night.
6. My instructor said that we were the best class he’d ever taught.
A. ‘You are the best class I’ve ever taught,’ my instructor said.
B. ‘You were the best class I ever taught/ my instructor said to me.
C. ‘They are the best class he’s ever taught,’ said my instructor.
7. ‘Can you help me with my homework?’
A. Nick asked whether his sister can help him with his homework.
B. Nick asked his sister could she help him with his homework.
C. Nick asked his sister if she could help him with his homework.
8. Bill wanted to know when Susan was going out with Tony.
A. ‘When you are going out with Tony, Susan?’
B. ‘When was you going out with Tony, Susan?’
C. ‘When are you going out with Tony, Susan?’
9. ‘I will come if I can finish work early.’
A. He said that he will come if he can finish work early.
B. He told that he would come if he could finish work early.
C. He told me that he would come if he could finish work early.
10. ‘What is the closest planet to Earth?’
A. The student wondered if the closest planet to Earth is.
B. The student asked what the closest planet to Earth was.
C. The student asked what was the closest planet to Earth.

X. Supply the correct form of the words in brackets.

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John Young, NASA most___________ astronaut, flown into space six times. (experience)
2. The high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes it___________ to
humans. (poison)
3. ___________ have just discovered a giant, Jupiter-like planet. (astronomy)
4. The planet Mars has been___________ remotely by spacecraft. (exploration)
5. Saturn’s moon Rhea may have a___________ atmosphere that is very similar to Earth’s.
(breathe)
6. The term UFO stands for “___________ flying object”. (identify)
7. A___________ is a native inhabitant of the planet Mars. (Mars)
8. How can someone fight hunger, ___________, and radiation on Mars? (lonely)
9. That film about aliens might___________ be classified a horror film. (appropriate)
10. What___________ could you propose for humans to live in a City on the moon?
(accommodate)

XI. Fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition.

1. The children were excited___________ Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
2. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to fly___________ space.
3. NASA scientists are looking___________ habitable planets.
4. Mercury is the closest planet___________ the Sun.
5. He saw aliens coming___________ of the UFO.
6. Venus is very similar___________ Earth in terms of size and surface gravity.
7. Mars is named___________ the Roman God of war.
8. If intelligent aliens exist, how could we communicate___________ them?
9. Humans will be living___________ Mars far sooner than most people think.
10. Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon’s surface___________ July 20, 1969.

C. SPEAKING
I. Complete the dialogue with the appropriate sentences (A - H).

A. It's so interesting!
B. It's a ring of icy bodies just outside of Neptune's orbit.
C. It's a dwarf planet that lies in the Kuiper belt.
D. Because it did not meet the three criteria the IAU uses to define a full-sized planet.
It is not big enough to clear smaller bodies close to it.
E. Well, you should read astronomy books.
F. Sure. Eight planets.
G. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
H. Yes. A while back, Pluto was the ninth planet from the sun, but it is not counted as a
planet any more.
Minh: Emily! Do you know how many planets there are in our solar System?
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Emily: (1)_________________________________________________________
Minh: What are they?
Emily: (2) _________________________________________________________
Minh: How about Pluto? Have you ever heard about it?
Emily: (3) _________________________________________________________
Minh: Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
Emily: (4) _________________________________________________________
Minh: So what is Pluto?
Emily: (5) _________________________________________________________
Minh: I still don’t know much about this. What’s the Kuiper Belt?
Emily: (6) _________________________________________________________
Minh: Oh... I think I’ll have to learn mo re about astronomy. (7) ________________
Emily: (8) ________________. There are plenty of great books on space and universe.

II. Reorder the sentences to make a dialogue.

____ What? Well, I did have a few beers, but I’m telling the truth.
____ Wait, tell me exactly what you saw.
____Well, I stopped to watch the light when it disappeared behind a hill about a kilometer
ahead of me.
____Well, I’d like to report a UFO sighting.
____What do you mean, “the alien”?
____What do you mean “what?” An unidentified flying object!
____Now, have you been taking any alcohol in the last 24 hours? You mentioned you went
to a party.
____Well, I was driving home from a party about three hours ago, so it was about 2:00 AM,
when I saw this bright light overhead.
____Okay. And then what happened?
_1_ Officer Jones speaking. What do you want to report?
____Now, how do you know it was a UFO? Perhaps you only saw the lights of an airplane,
or the headlights of an approaching car. Things like that happen, you know.
____A what?
____Well if it was that, how do you explain “the alien”?
____ Okay. I kept driving for about five minutes when all of a sudden, this giant, hairy
creature jumped out in front of my car.

D. READING
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UNIT 12: LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS ▪ Page 97

I. Complete the passage with the words from the box.

surface survive frozen universe explore missions down might

As we explore the (1) ___________, we naturally ask, “Is there life on other planets?”
In 1976, NASA’s twin Viking landers touched (2) ___________ on Mars in an attempt to
answer a weighty question: Is there life on the Red Planet? Since then, NASA and other
space agencies have sent many more (3) ___________ to Mars. However; the answer so far
is, “We don’t know, but we’ll keep searching.” All life on Earth needs liquid water to (4)
___________. Since spacecraft haven’t found any liquid water on Mars’ (5) ___________,
scientists think that there is no life there. But what about below the surface? Spacecraft have
discovered (6) ___________ water in Mars’ polar ice caps and in clouds of ice crystals. This
means that there (7) ___________ be liquid water below the surface where it’s warmer.
NASA plans to continue to (8) ___________ Mars every two years. In future missions, we’ll
explore below the surface and search for liquid water - and life!

II. Read the passage, then do the tasks

THE INNER PLANETS
Planets are large bodies that rotate around the sun. The inner planets, or terrestrial
planets, are the four planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Even
though these planets are all small and rocky, they have more differences than they have
things in common.
Because Mercury is the closest to the sun, the side that faces the sun gets as hot as
427° Celsius. At the same time, the side that faces away from the sun is a freezing -173°
Celsius. The extreme temperatures alone make it a very unlikely place for life. With an
atmosphere too thin for human breathing, it’s obvious that people won’t be living on
Mercury any time soon.
The next planet from the sun is Venus. Below clouds of sulfuric gas lies 96% carbon
dioxide atmosphere. That might be nice for a plant, since a plant “breathes” carbon dioxide,
but not for a person. If you managed to survive the atmosphere, the surface of the planet is
hot enough to melt solid metal. Venus has a temperature that is maintained at 462° Celsius,
no matter where you go on the planet.
You are probably most familiar with Earth because it is your home planet. It has the
perfect conditions for life. Earth’s atmosphere and oceans help control the trickiest part of
making a planet life-friendly: temperature. Earth is the only planet known to have liquid
water.
Mars is the fourth farthest from the sun. Some people think it may be possible for life
to exist there. Although scientists have not been able to find actual water on Mars, there
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seems to be evidence of water erosion on its surface. Its canyons and mountains are very
similar to those found on Earth. The main difference is that there is no plant life. Some
scientists believe that Mars may have been very much like Earth until something happened
that made the water supply evaporate.
A. Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. The inner planets are located closest to the sun.
2. Mercury is the hottest planet because it’s the closest to the sun.
3. Venus has an atmosphere whose composition is similar to that of Earth.
4. The temperature on the surface of Venus is hot enough to melt lead.
5. Earth has a surface temperature that is uniquely friendly to life.
6. Scientists have proved that life once existed on Mars.
7. It seems that Mars once had liquid water on its surface.
8. Some scientists believe that Mars is very similar to the Earth.
B. Answer the questions.
1. What is another name for inner planets?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Why can’t people live on Mercury?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What is the atmosphere of Venus primarily composed of?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Which planet is hotter, Mercury or Venus?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Is Earth the only planet with water in liquid form on its surface?
_____________________________________________________________________
6. What land features of Mars are similar to Earth’s?
_____________________________________________________________________

E. WRITING
I. Reorder the words to make sentences.
1. scientists/ Susan/ had found/ Mars/ her teacher/ if/ water/ asked/ on.
_____________________________________________________________________
2. too/ because/ it’s/ close/ there/ the sun/ might not/ life/ on Mercury/ to/ be.
_____________________________________________________________________
3. scientists/ we/ beyond Earth/ evidence/ say that/ life/ may/ for/ find/ within the next
decades.
_____________________________________________________________________
4. first/ Jenny/ wanted to know/ contact/ we/ with/ aliens/ how/ make/ would.
_____________________________________________________________________
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5. three/ from/ Mercury/ farther/ times/ Earth/ is/ the sun/ than.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. in/ that/ the interviewer/ like/ a/ the UFO/ looked/ Nick/ big disc/ told/ the sky.
_____________________________________________________________________
7. is called/ surface/ Mars/ in/ the red planet/ because/ is covered/ red dust/ its.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. fastest/ of/ to/ the Sun/ the planets/ Mercury/ orbit/ is/ the/ all.
_____________________________________________________________________
9. other/ life/ on/ do/ planets/ you/ intelligent/ exists/ think?
_____________________________________________________________________
10. if/ me/ what/1/ asked/ would/ she/ do/1/ a UFO/ saw.
_____________________________________________________________________

II. Write the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one.
1. American scientists have drawn plans for an extension to the ISS.
Plans_____________________________________________________________
2. “Can NASA prove that there is life on a moon of Jupiter?”
He asked__________________________________________________________
3. The student wanted to know how long it took to get to red planet.
The student asked, “_________________________________________________”
4. Paul left the office before Sarah arrived there.
When Sarah________________________________________________________
5. The heavy snow made it impossible for the plane to take off on time.
The plane was prevented______________________________________________
6. “What time did you get home last night?”
My parents asked____________________________________________________
7. It’s possible that Lucy isn’t at home now.
Lucy might_________________________________________________________
8. NASA stopped sending humans to the moon in 1972.
NASA hasn’t________________________________________________________
9. “We are meeting Tony at 8 o’clock tonight.”
She said that_________________________________________________________
10. Sam told me that he was very tired then because he had been working hard for 12 hours.
Sam said to me, “_____________________________________________________”
⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

TEST FOR UNIT 12

I. Choose the word that has underlined part pronounced differently from the rest.
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UNIT 12: LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS ▪ Page 100

1. A. accommodate B. adventure C. alien D. appropriate
2. A. UFO B. Jupiter C. Neptune D. future
3. A. saucer B. crew C. Mercury D. accommodate
4. A. climate B. sighting C. might D. aliens
5. A. breathe B. earth C. sea D. meaningful

II. Choose the word whose main stress pattern is placed differently.
1. A. surface B. UFO C. alien D. weightless
2. A. temperature B. Jupiter C. Mercury D. adventure
3. A. atmosphere B. powerful C. condition D. astronaut
4. A. appropriate B. aeronautic C. astronomy D. inhabitant
5. A. similarly B. discovery C. accommodate D. unsuitable

II. Complete each sentence with a suitable word.

1. Trang asked___________ people would live on Mars in the next 20 years.
2. ___________ is named after the Roman God of the sea.
3. Earth is the only___________ in the solar System that has life.
4. Astronauts used moon___________ to travel on the surface of the moon.
5. NASA___________ for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
6. Vostok 1 was the first___________ to carry a human, Yuri A. Gagarin, into space.
7. He wanted to know___________ humans couldn’t live on Mercury or Venus.
8. What___________ you do if we found aliens?
9. You won’t be able to breathe on the moon___________ oxygen tanks.
10. Asteroids, also known as “minor planets”, are numerous in the___________ space.

IV. Choose the best answer A, B, C or D to complete the sentence.

1. Mercury is the smallest and closest planet___________ the Sun.
A. from B. to C. toward D. of
2. There’s no water on Mars even though scientists have found traces___________ it.
A. on B. with C. for D. of
3. Neptune is so far from Earth, it is___________ to the naked eye.
A. invisible B. impossible C. disable D. unsuitable
4. Nick saw aliens corning out of the UFO, which___________ a big disc.
A. stood for B. consisted of C. looked like D. lived on
5. Could we modify Mars’___________ to make it more suitable for human life?
A. climate B. trace C. experience D. trek
6. When do you think the first human___________ walk on the surface of Mars?

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A. must B. should C. would D. might
7. Have you ever wondered___________ it would be like to live on the moon?
A. whether B. what C. why D. that
8. Tim asked his teacher when the first space shuttle___________.
A. has been launched B. will be launched
C. had been launched D. was being launched
9. She wanted to know if I had met Judy at the station___________.
A. the day after B. the next day C. the following day D. the previous day
10. “I saw a UFO hovering above my back garden.” - “___________”
A. You said it! B. Very funny! C. You’re joking! D. Absolutely right!

V. Choose the underlined word or phrase, A, B, c or D that needs correcting.

1. When will humans be able to travel from one planet to other easily?
A B C D
2. In 2001, at least 15 people, include two police officers saw UFOs in New Jersey.
A B C D
3. He wanted to know why didn’t I believe there was intelligent life on other planets.
A B C D
4. Scientists believe that several billion years ago Mars was very similarity to Earth.
A B C D
5. Because it is too close to the sun, Mercury is hard to study from Earth.
A B C D
6. We asked our teacher whether the exam can be postponed until next Monday.
A B C D
7. The Romans named Venus of the Roman Goddess of love and beauty.
A B C D
8. Discovering in 2015 by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft, K2-18b is very unlike our home planet.
A B C D
9. Some people believe that UFOs are actual vehicles from other planets, flown by alien
visitors. A B C D
10. Many people are wondering where life exists on other planets and moons.
A B C D

VI. Write the correct tense or form of the verbs in brackets.

1. In 1947 pilot Kenneth Arnold___________ (spot) nine shiny, unidentified flying objects
flying past Mount Rainier.
2. What___________ (happen) if aliens made contact with Earth?
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 3. He wanted to know how NASA___________ (communicate) with spacecraft.
4. Almost the same as Earth, a day on Mars___________ (have) 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35
seconds.
5. Nick said that he___________ (see) a UFO land in a grassy area the day before.
6. Captain Ray Bowyer gained clear views of two UFOs when he___________ (fly) in the
English Channel.
7. So far, only two spacecraft___________ (fly) to Mercury to collect data.
8. Sue asked her teacher how long it___________ (take) to travel to Mars.
9. Neptune___________ (discover) on September 23, 1846.
10. NASA hope they___________ (be) able to send people to Mars by 2030.

VII. Supply the correct form of the words in brockets.

1. The Saturn V is the largest and the most___________ rocket ever made. (power)
2. The term UFO or___________ flying object refers to a suspected alien spacecraft.
(identify)
3. Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh made the remarkable___________ of Pluto in 1930.
(discover)
4. Astronauts float around in the space shuttle because they are___________. (weight)
5. Mars is a focal point of modern space___________. (explore)
6. Titan’s atmosphere is___________, so if you were on Titan you would need a breathing
mask. (breathe)
7. There are thousands of UFO___________ reported every year. (sight)
8. Mars is called the Red Planet because of its some___________ surface. (red)
9. Scientists discovered that Mars had some ___________to Earth. (similar)
10. The space shuttle span___________ when it hit space debris. (controllable)

VIII. Match the questions to the answers.

1. Why do scientists want to find another habitable planet? a. In 1947.
2. Have we found any signs of life on other planets? b. 140 million miles.
3. What are needed for life to exist on other planet? c. Not really.
4. Which planet is the most habitable besides Earth? d. It’s Mars.
5. When did the first UFO sighting occur? e. Because it seems that our
planet can’t cope with
overpopulation.
6. Do you believe that extraterrestrial life exists? f. Liquid water, right
temperatures and
atmosphere.
7. Who was the first person to walk on the moon? g. Neil Alden Armstrong
8. How far is it from Earth to Mars? h. I’ll believe it when I see it.
IX. Choose the word which best fits each gap.

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 ARE THERE ANY ALIENS OUT THERE?
For years we Earthlings have wondered (1) ___________ we are alone in the universe
or we’ve got company in the shape of aliens. People have claimed to have met aliens, seen
UFOs and some people even say they’ve been abducted by extraterrestrials. But what do we
really know about them - if they (2) ___________ at all?
Ever since we realised there (3) ___________ be something out there
our imaginations have created thousands of bizarre creatures. But at the moment no one
knows what an alien might look like. Even if we do ever come (4)___________aliens in
space, most scientists agree they probably won’t look like little green men.
(5)___________aliens exists, experts reckon they’re probably very small and look something
like a bug.
Over the years thousands of people have been (6) ___________that we Earthlings
have been visited by aliens from other civilizations. But there’s one problem with this - the
number of aliens (7)___________discovered is zero. There are lots of photos and films of
apparent (8)___________but most have a logical explanation like aeroplanes and military
exercises. Or they’re hoaxes!
- extraterrestrial (n): sinh vật ngoài hành tinh - civilisation (n): nên văn minh
1. A. when B. where C. whether D. whereas
2. A. exist B. happen C. live D. survive
3. A. can B. must C. may D. might
4. A. over B. through C. across D. along
5. A. Although B. If C. Because D. Since
6. A. convinced B. satisfied C. affected D. consulted
7. A. absolutely B. mainly C. immediately D. actually
8. A. visions B. sightings C. signs D. signals

X. Read the passage carefully, then do the tasks.

How many planets are there in our galaxy? That’s a tricky question to answer. Are
there other planets that support life? That’s exactly what the Kepler mission hopes to
discover.
NASA launched the Kepler space telescope, designed to find habitable planets, in
2009. So far it has discovered five new Earth-sized planets beyond our solar System. These
planets are hotter than the Earth - much too hot for life as we know it. The Kepler team
predict that they will need at least three years to find an Earth-like planet.
The simplest requirement for a planet to have life is for there to be liquid water so the
distance from the planet’s sun and therefore temperature are important. There also needs to
be the correct amount of air. If a planet is as small as Mars (half the size of Earth) its weak
gravity means that it can’t hold on to air molecules. If a planet is Neptune sized (four times
bigger than Earth) it has very strong gravity and too much air. So size matters too.
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UNIT 12: LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS ▪ Page 104

 The cost of the mission is approximately six hundred million dollars. It is scheduled to
observe until 2013 but this could be extended. Will we be sad if we discover we are alone in
our galaxy or happy if we find that we share it with other life forms?
A. Match the bold words or phrases in the text with their definitions.
1. with no other people
2. the force that attracts objects towards each other
3. difficult
4. suitable for people to live in
5. close to but not exactly
6. outside
7. not less than
B. Choose the correct answers.
1. What is the passage about?
A. Planets in our solar System
B. The difference between Earth and other planets
C. Space exploration to find habitable planets
D. NASA’s missions to explore the outer planets
2. The Kepler space telescope is looking for__________.
A. new planets in our galaxy B. life on other planets
C. liquid water on other planets D. Earth-sized planets in the solar System
3. Kepler has found five planets that__________.
A. has water and air B. are similar to Earth
C. are not too far away from the Earth D. are not in our solar System
4. The Kepler team predict that they will need__________ to find an Earth-like planet.
A. three years and possibly longer B. as much as three years
C. no more than three years D. approximately three years
5. What are the primary factors that make a planet habitable?
A. Liquid water and living things B. Size and distance from the Sun
C. Hot temperature and weak gravity D. Strong gravity and too much air
6. How much does the Kepler mission cost?
A. Exactly $600 million B. About $600 million
C. More than $600 million D. Less than $600 million
7. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The planet can support life if it has water and air.
B. A very small planet will not have enough air.
C. Earth is four times as big as Neptune.
D. Kepler mission is scheduled to end in 2013.
XI. Change the following sentences into indirect speech or vice versa.

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UNIT 12: LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS ▪ Page 105

1. Candy asked me if I had ever read an astronomy book.

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2. ‘I’ll let you know if I have any more problems,” Carol told her father.

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3. The professor told us that the Moon was more than 380,000 km from the Earth.

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4. “When did the Kepler mission end?” Mark wanted to know.

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5. Daniel asked me if I was going to see lunar eclipse the following day.

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6. The customers said that they had been waiting for more than two hours.

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7. “Can you help me with this tricky math question?” Tim asked his sister.

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8. “NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars next year NASA’s administrator said.

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9. They wondered where on Mars humans might first land.

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10. Gwen asked if the spaceship Voyager had flown past Pluto three weeks before.

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UNIT 12: LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS ▪ Page 106