Is There Anybody Out There? The Search For Extra-terrestrial Intelligence — IELTS Reading Answers

Paragraph B

“In discussing whether we are alone, most SETI scientists adopt two ground rules. First, UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are generally ignored since most scientists don't consider the evidence for them to be strong enough to bear serious consideration (although it is also important to keep an open mind in case any...”

Paragraph B sets out 'two ground rules' — ignoring UFO evidence and assuming a life form 'pretty well like us' — so its heading concerns the assumptions SETI works under.

Paragraph C

“However, when we look at the 100 billion stars in our galaxy (the Milky Way), and 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe, it seems inconceivable that at least one of these planets does not have a life form on it;”

Paragraph C reasons from '100 billion stars in our galaxy' to estimate that perhaps 'one in 100,000 stars might have a life-bearing planet', a heading on the odds of life.

Paragraph D

“It turns out that, for a given amount of transmitted power, radio waves in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz travel the greatest distance, and so all searches to date have concentrated on looking for radio waves in this frequency range”

Paragraph D explains that radio waves 'in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz travel the greatest distance', so searches concentrate there — a heading on the chosen frequency.

Paragraph E

“There is considerable debate over how we should react if we detect a signal from an alien civilisation. Everybody agrees that we should not reply immediately”

Paragraph E reports 'considerable debate over how we should react if we detect a signal', though all agree not to reply at once, so its heading is about responding.

What is the life expectancy of Earth?

“Since the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years, we can expect that, if other civilisations do survive in our galaxy, their ages will range from zero to several billion years”

The text states 'the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years', which is Earth's life expectancy.

What kind of signals from other intelligent civilisations are SETI scientists searching for?

“as we search for radio signals from other intelligent civilisations”

SETI scientists search for 'radio signals from other intelligent civilisations', so 'radio waves' answers the question.

How many stars are the world's most powerful radio telescopes searching?

“This part of the project is searching the nearest 1000 likely stars with high sensitivity for signals in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz”

The project searches 'the nearest 1000 likely stars', the number the question asks for.

Alien civilisations may be able to help the human race to overcome serious problems.

“It is even possible that the older civilisation may pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats to survival such as nuclear war and global pollution, and other threats that we haven't yet discovered”

An older civilisation might 'pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats' like nuclear war and pollution, so YES.

SETI scientists are trying to find a life form that resembles humans in many ways.

“Second, we make a very conservative assumption that we are looking for a life form that is pretty well like us, since if it differs radically from us we may well not recognise it as a life form, quite apart from whether we are able to communicate with it”

'A life form that is pretty well like us' confirms SETI assumes and seeks a human-like form. YES.

The Americans and Australians have co-operated on joint research projects.

“So far there have been a number of searches by various groups around the world, including Australian searches using the radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales. Until now there have not been any detections from the few hundred stars which have been searched.”

Australian telescope searches and US Congress funding are reported separately; the passage never says the two countries cooperated on joint projects.

So far SETI scientists have picked up radio signals from several stars.

“Until now there have not been any detections from the few hundred stars which have been searched”

'Not been any detections' from the stars already searched directly contradicts the claim of signals from several stars. NO.

The NASA project attracted criticism from some members of Congress.

“The scale of the searches has been increased dramatically since 1992, when the US Congress voted NASA $10 million per year for ten years to conduct a thorough search for extra-terrestrial life”

Congress is described only as voting NASA $10 million a year; no criticism from its members is mentioned.

If a signal from outer space is received, it will be important to respond promptly.

“It's not important, then, if there's 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”

'It's not important... if there's a delay of a few years, or decades' contradicts the need for a prompt reply. NO.