LIFE BEYOND THE EARTH Is there intelligent life on other planets? For years, scientists said “no” or “we don’t know”. But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers. They believe intelligent life exists somewhere in the universe. They also think they will soon contact these beings. Why do Shostak and Barnett thinks intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billions years old. It is too long, say Shostak and Barnett, for only one planet in the entire universe to have intelligent life. The second reason is size - the universe is huge. Tools like the Hubble Telescope “have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies” says Shostak. And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least billion stars. Some planets circling these stars might be similar to the Earth. Until recently, it was difficult to search for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes enable scientist to identify smaller planets – the size of Mars or Earth – in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life. Have beings from space already visited the Earth? Probably not, says Shostak. The distance between planets is to great. Despite this, intelligent beings might eventually contact us using other methods, such as radio signals. In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don’t have the right tools to receive their messages. However, it is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe. Question 31.What is the main purpose of this passage? A. to show how telescope work B. to explain the belief of two scientists C. to describe what life on the planets might look like D. to explain how life started on the Earth Question 32. What would be a good title for the second paragraph? A. Why intelligent life might exist B. the Age and Size of the Universe C. The Earth: The only planet for intelligent life D. Our galaxy: The Milky Way Question 33. Why was it harder to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe in the past? A. Planets used to be farther apart. B. We could only see the smaller planets from the Earth. C. These lives might not exist then. D. We didn’t have the right tools. Question 34. According to Shostak, what might prevent beings from space visiting our Earth? A. the unread messages B. the radio signals C. the great distance D. our planet size Question 35. In the last paragraph, what does the “life forms” refer to? A. planets B. intelligent beings C. radio signals D. messages