U.S. Military Research Says No UFO or Alien Visitors
Listen to the story (South African accent)
The Pentagon says that it has been investigating reports of UFOs, but there is no evidence that aliens have visited Earth.
There are hundreds of new reports of UFOs and strange objects that the Pentagon is investigating.
Sean Kirkpatrick, the director of the investigations, says that they are reviewing the reports in a scientific manner. He also says that they are being very thorough and understand that extraterrestrial life could be real.
The investigations focus on unusual activity near military bases, restricted airspace and other important areas. The investigators want to find out whether there are threats to the safety of the US military and national security.
Last year, a government report showed more than 140 cases of "unidentified aerial phenomena," or UAPs since 2004.
Only one of the cases was explained. The other 143 cases do not have enough data to make any conclusions. It’s possible that a country like China, Russia, or even the US is testing secret technology.
The US government wants the Pentagon to research all reports of UFOs all the way back to the year 1945, including top-secret documents. President Joe Biden has not approved the project yet.
Vocabulary25 words
- Pentagon
- the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense; a building which is the symbol of the US military
- Investigate
- to research; to study; to find out more
- Report
- a written description of an event; story; article; the results of a study or project
- UFO (unidentified flying object) -
- Evidence
- information or facts that help prove something
- Alien
- ? ; a living thing from another planet; something foreign
- Director
- boss, leader, head, manager
- Manner
- way; method; the way in which something is done or happens; mode; process
- Thorough
- to do something very carefully and completely
- Extraterrestrial
- coming from or existing outside of the Earth
- Unusual
- not normal or typical; strange
- Military
- armed forces; army; agency or department of a government for combat/war
- Base
- a place that is the center of operations; camp; headquarters; site; center
- Restricted
- limited or controlled
- Airspace
- the sky or area above land that a country controls
- Threat
- a situation or activity that could cause harm; danger; hazard
- National security
- the protection of a country's interests, including its people, economy, and territory
- Show
- to prove something or make the truth or existence of something known; confirm; demonstrate; validate
- Case
- instance; occurrence; a particular situation or example of something
- Unidentified
- not known or recognized
- Aerial
- related to or found in the air/sky
- Phenomena
- a fact, event, or occurrence that is observed and studied
- Conclusion
- a final decision or judgment about something after considering all the evidence
- Top-secret
- information that is only shared with a small group of people because it is very important or sensitive
- Approve
- officially agree; accept; to say “yes”; authorize
Discussion questions
- What are some theories about the unexplained UFO sightings being investigated by the Pentagon?
- How has the US government responded to the reports of UFO sightings and what actions have they taken to investigate them?
- What are some reasons for the limited amount of information available about the UFO sightings being investigated by the Pentagon?
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