Many people in Canada believe in aliens[1]. They believe they are intelligent, from an advanced civilization, and they want to meet or study us.[2] There are many movies about this. What do you think?

By Charlie Morgan

李薇 译注

A: Hey, I saw a UFO last night!

B: Really? When did you see it? Where was it?

A: Well, last night, as I was walking home, I happened to look up in the sky, and there it was. I couldn’t believe it at first.

B: What did it look like?

A: It was far away, but it was shaped like a flying saucer[3], just like in the movies. It had blinking lights, too.

B: How big was it?

A: It was about as big as a plane flying overhead.

B: Are you sure it wasn’t really a plane?

A: As plain as day, it was a spaceship. I was surprised as anything.

B: Are you positive[4] you weren’t hammered? You like drinking Friday nights.

A: Yes, I had a few drinks before I went home, but as drunk as I was, that was a UFO. I’m absolutely certain.

B: Did you happen to get a picture of it?

A: No, I have no proof. I reached for my cell phone and used it as a camera, but the picture didn’t come out[5], as it was too dark.

B: That’s too bad. How long was it there?

A: I’m not sure. I ran like the wind to get home and grab my camera so as to take a better photo. I got back as soon as possible, but it had disappeared.

B: That’s too bad. Where do you think it went?

A: Who knows? I checked online, but there were no reports of spaceships.

B: Do you believe in aliens?

A: Yes, and I believe they live among us.

B: What do you think they look like? Do they have green skin?

A: No, they have yellow teeth. They look like our teacher.

Exercise

1. UFO                            a. exactly the same as (but it’s not)

2. as                             b. very clear

3. happen to                      c. very

4. just like                      d. completely (very) sure

5. blinking                       e. It was here, then suddenly gone.

6. as plain as day                f. lights go off and on a lot, quickly

7. as anything                    g. unidentified flying object (spaceship)

8. hammered                       h. evidence. It shows it’s true.

9. absolutely certain             i. while

10. proof                         j. very drunk (alcohol)

11. like the wind                 k. in the middle of a place/group

12. so as to                      l. to do or have something by chance

13. disappear                     m. in order to

14. among                         n. very fast

Answers:

1–g, 2–i, 3–l, 4–a, 5–f, 6–b, 7–c, 8–j, 9–d, 10–h, 11–n, 12–m, 13–e, 14–k

Usage Tips

1. 本期故事中出现了as的很多不同含义，as在英语口语中也是高频出现的常见词。现总结归纳它的几种用法如下：

a) 作介词，表示比较，意思是“像……一样”，词组as...as相当于the same，如：as big as a plane; I’m as tall as my sister. 但注意，在as plain as day这一词组中，as...as则相当于very，中间搭配形容词，是为了表达比较的强烈程度，如：He’s as tall as a giraffe[6]. (= He’s not really that tall; it just means he’s very tall.)

b) 作介词，意思是“作为，以……的身份”，如：She used it as a camera; I used a book as a pillow; 再如：As a father, he’s very good, but as a husband, he’s lazy.

c) 作连词，意思是“因为，由于”，相当于because，在正式英语中也很常用，如：My son did not go to school as he was sick.

2. 在本集中出现了run like the wind（即“跑得飞快”）这一词组，其结构为: verb + like + strong noun，意思相当于very，如：She cried like a baby. (= She just cried very much.)

Vocabulary

1. alien: 外星人。

2. intelligent: 高度智慧的；advanced: 超前的，先进的，高级的；study: 研究。

3. flying saucer: 飞碟，不明飞行物。

4. positive: 有把握的，确信的。

5. come out: （照片）显影。

6. giraffe: 长颈鹿。

（来源：英语学习杂志）