这篇开始讲最近的几个剑桥系列，剑9的阅读是剑桥中比较难的一个系列，我们会带领大家梳理一下阅读中可以用在写作里的一些论据。剑9 Test 1 Reading Passage 2 讲的是Is there anybody out there？ The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence 外星人是否真的存在？

文章开篇就说到了外星人的是否真的存在这个问题困扰了人类很久，The question of whether we are alone in the universe has haunted humanity for centuries, but we may now stand poised on the brink of the answer to that question, as we search for radio signals from other intelligent civilizations. Although groups around the world have been searching intermittently for three decades, it is only now that we have reached the level of technology where we can make a determined attempt to search all nearby stars for any sign of life. 人类是否是宇宙中唯一的生命体这个问题已经困扰了我们很久，随着对其他智慧文明的搜寻，我们可能就要找到这个问题的答案了。虽然世界上很多团体已经陆陆续续地开始搜寻，但是直到现在，我们的技术水平才能让我们下定决心去搜寻附近星球上的生命迹象。

搜寻外星生物的原因：

The primary reason for the search is basic curiosity - the same curiosity about the natural world that drives all pure science. We want to know whether we are alone in the Universe. We want to know whether life evolves naturally if given the right condition, or whether there is something very special about the Earth to have fostered the variety of life forms that we see around us on the planet. 人类出于一种基本的好奇心，这是这种对大自然的好奇心推动了所有纯科学的发展。我们想知道人类是否是宇宙中唯一的生命体，我们想知道在适宜的条件下，生命是否会自然形成。我们还想知道地球上是否存在某种特殊物质，孕育了那些我们司空见惯的各种形式的生命体。

搜寻外星生物的好处：

1）There are many reasons for being interested in whether life exists elsewhere. For example, we have had civilization on Earth for perhaps only a few thousand years, and the threats of nuclear war or pollution over the last few decades have told us that our survival may be tenuous. Will we last another two thousand years or will we wipe ourselves out? If other civilizations do survive in our galaxy, their ages will range from zero to several billion years. Thus, any other civilization that we hear from is likely to be far older, on average, than ourselves. The mere existence of such a civilization will tell us that long-term survival is possible.人类对外星生命体感兴趣还有很多其他原因。比如，我们地球上的文明只有寥寥数千年，而过去的核战争和污染的威胁告诉人类，我们的生命也许很脆弱。我们还能再延续千年吗？还是自我灭绝呢？我们可以猜想，如果银河系中有别的生命体的存在，他们的寿命可能比人类要长。只要有这种文明的存在，就说明我们人类是有可能活得更久的。

2）The existence of aliens may also give us some cause for optimism. It is even possible that other the older civilization may pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats to survival, such as nuclear war, global pollution, and other threats that we haven't yet discovered.这些古老文明的存在给我们带来了乐观的理由，也可以将其在应对生存威胁时积累的经验传授给我们，例如如何应对核战争与全球污染带来的威胁，以及如何应对其他我们未发现的潜在威胁。

搜寻外星生物的坏处：

1）The human race would face the culture shock if faced with a superior and much older civilization. Intelligent species are not willing to co-exist peacefully or harmoniously with other creatures whose civilization apparently lags way behind.外星人的搜寻可能会对自身的文化造成冲击。高等文明种族可能不愿意与低等文明种族和平共处。

2）This is a common belief held by many, some fear that sending signals into the space could put humans in danger. The main concern is that if other intelligent life forms capture the signals and locate us, they may be powerful enough to invade our planet and destroy or enslave lives on the earth. 向外星人发送信号可能也会让外星生命定位到我们的位置，从而对我们发起侵略，毁灭我们的星球。

是否要与外星生物交流：

1）There is considerable debate over how we should react, if we detect a signal from an alien civilization. Everybody agrees that we should not reply immediately. Quite apart from the impracticality of sending a reply over such large distances at short notice, it raises a host of ethical questions that would have to be addressed by the global community before any reply could be sent. 如果我们真的发现外星文明的存在，我们该如何应对。大家都认为不应该立刻最初回应。且不说马上向如此遥远的地方发出回应是多么的不合实际，这还会引发一系列的名族问题，这些问题在回应被发出之前应该有国际社会联合解决。

2）Luckily, there is no urgency about this. The stars being searched and hundreds of light years away, so it takes hundreds of years for their signal to reach us, and a further few hundreds of light years for their signal for our reply to reach them. It is not important, then, if there is a delay of a few years, or decades, while the human race debates the question of whether to reply, and perhaps carefully drafts a reply. 幸运的是，我们不需要立即回应。因为被搜寻的很行离我们有数百光年遥远，他们的信号到达我们这里需要数百年的时间，而我们做出的回应到达他们那里又需要数百年。所以在争议是否要发出回应这一点上再耽误几年甚至几十年，也没关系。