What does UAP stand for?

UAP stands for unidentified anomalous phenomena.

What are the 'tic tac' videos?

The 'tic tac' videos are footage recorded by navy pilots in 2004 showing mysterious oval objects.

Which country has the highest number of reported UFO sightings?

The USA has the highest number of reported UFO sightings, with over 100,000 since 1947.

What does 'integrity' mean?

Integrity means being honest and having moral principles.

What is a 'personal testimony'?

A personal testimony is a statement of evidence supported by a person's own experience.

What does 'extra-terrestrial' mean?

Extra-terrestrial means from outside Earth, often used to describe aliens.

What is the significance of the NASA panel's findings?

The NASA panel found that the object in the tic tac videos was moving at only forty miles-an-hour, suggesting it may not be extra-terrestrial.

What does it mean to 'get a handle on' something?

To 'get a handle on' something means to understand it and be able to deal with it.

Mystery flying objects ⏲️ 6 Minute English

00:06:23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEoSi6l99OE

Summary

TLDRIn this episode of 6 Minute English, hosts Neil and Beth discuss UFOs, now called UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena). They focus on the 'tic tac' videos recorded by navy pilots in 2004, which are currently being reviewed by US Congress. The discussion includes the scientific approach to these sightings, emphasizing the need for evidence and the integrity of pilot testimonies. The episode reveals that the USA has the highest number of reported UFO sightings and introduces relevant vocabulary such as 'integrity', 'personal testimony', and 'extra-terrestrial'.

Takeaways

👽 UAP stands for unidentified anomalous phenomena.
📹 The 'tic tac' videos show mysterious objects recorded by navy pilots.
🇺🇸 The USA has the highest number of reported UFO sightings.
🔍 Integrity means being honest and having moral principles.
🗣️ A personal testimony is based on an individual's experience.
🌌 Extra-terrestrial refers to beings from outside Earth.
⚖️ Scientific studies are needed to understand UFO sightings better.
🚀 The NASA panel found the tic tac object was moving at only 40 mph.

Timeline

00:00:00 - 00:06:23
In this episode of 6 Minute English, Neil and Beth discuss unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), commonly known as UFOs. They reflect on the feelings one might have upon witnessing strange objects in the sky, referencing the famous 'tic tac' videos recorded by navy pilots in 2004. These videos, which show mysterious oval objects flying at high altitudes, are currently under review by the US Congress to determine their nature, whether they are extraterrestrial or have a rational explanation. The discussion also touches on the high number of UFO sightings reported annually, with a quiz question posed about which country has the most sightings.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

What does UAP stand for?
UAP stands for unidentified anomalous phenomena.
What are the 'tic tac' videos?
The 'tic tac' videos are footage recorded by navy pilots in 2004 showing mysterious oval objects.
Which country has the highest number of reported UFO sightings?
The USA has the highest number of reported UFO sightings, with over 100,000 since 1947.
What does 'integrity' mean?
Integrity means being honest and having moral principles.
What is a 'personal testimony'?
A personal testimony is a statement of evidence supported by a person's own experience.
What does 'extra-terrestrial' mean?
Extra-terrestrial means from outside Earth, often used to describe aliens.
What is the significance of the NASA panel's findings?
The NASA panel found that the object in the tic tac videos was moving at only forty miles-an-hour, suggesting it may not be extra-terrestrial.
What does it mean to 'get a handle on' something?
To 'get a handle on' something means to understand it and be able to deal with it.

View more video summaries

Get instant access to free YouTube video summaries powered by AI!

Subtitles

Auto Scroll:

00:00:06
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English
00:00:10
I'm Neil and I'm Beth.
00:00:13
Now, you might know them as aliens, UFOs,
00:00:16
little green men or even UAPs.
00:00:20
UAP stands for unidentified anomalous phenomena
00:00:24
and it's the word scientists now use to describe mysterious things
00:00:30
not from this world,. So Beth,
00:00:33
how would you feel if you looked up and saw strange objects glowing
00:00:37
and twisting through the sky.
00:00:39
Wow!
00:00:40
Well, I might stare for a bit.
00:00:43
I don't know if I'd believe what I was seeing
00:00:46
and I guess I'd be a bit scared.
00:00:48
Well, that situation is exactly what
00:00:51
navy pilots caught on their fighter jet cameras
00:00:54
on a training flight in 2004.
00:00:57
They recorded mysterious oval objects flying at 24,000 metres.
00:01:03
The footage is known as the 'tic tac' videos
00:01:06
and they have had millions of views on Youtube.
00:01:09
Now, these videos are being reviewed by US Congress to try to understand
00:01:14
what these objects were.
00:01:16
Were they flying saucers -
00:01:18
the disc shaped craft flown by aliens?
00:01:21
Or is there a more rational explanation?
00:01:24
In this programme, we'll be discussing whether we are alone in the universe
00:01:29
and as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
00:01:33
But first, I have a question for you Beth.
00:01:36
Thousands of UFO sightings are recorded every year.
00:01:39
But which country has had the highest number of reported sightings
00:01:44
since records began,
00:01:46
according to the National UFO Reporting Centre? Is it:
00:01:50
a) the USA
00:01:52
b) Canada or c) China?
00:01:55
Hmm, I think it must be the USA.
00:01:58
OK Beth, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme.
00:02:03
Now, while astronomers are scientists who study questions concerning things
00:02:07
outside of earth,
00:02:09
they often avoid investigating
00:02:11
supposed aliens. Adam Frank,
00:02:14
professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester,
00:02:17
explains why the footage in the tic tac videos
00:02:20
can't give any definitive answers of alien life to BBC
00:02:25
World Service Programme, 'The Inquiry'.
00:02:28
Because I don't think the pilots are lying,
00:02:30
you know, I think the pilots are being honest and have a lot of integrity
00:02:33
about what they say they're seeing.
00:02:35
They're not saying they're aliens - they're saying they behaved
00:02:37
in ways that no jet could behave.
00:02:40
But you know, again, personal testimony -
00:02:43
you can't do any science with that.
00:02:45
So, what may happen now is we're going to begin to get us some scientific study
00:02:49
of this and we'll try and get a better handle on it.
00:02:52
Adam says the pilots have integrity,
00:02:55
a noun meaning to have honesty and moral principles.
00:02:58
However, what they saw is based on personal testimony.
00:03:03
A 'personal testimony' is a story
00:03:05
or statement of evidence supported only by a person
00:03:09
and what they saw, rather than any external evidence or hard facts.
00:03:14
To find out more about exactly what the pilot saw, scientific studies
00:03:18
are being carried out to try and get a better handle on the situation.
00:03:23
If you 'get a handle on' something, you understand it
00:03:26
and are then able to deal with it.
00:03:28
Taking a more scientific approach to what the pilot saw
00:03:31
the tic tac videos were examined by a panel put together by NASA.
00:03:36
Here's Adam again,
00:03:37
discussing the findings on BBC World Service Programme,
00:03:41
'The Inquiry'.
00:03:42
At the NASA panel,
00:03:45
one of the scientists showed a simple analysis of the video
00:03:48
that shows the object travelling seemingly at high speed over the ocean
00:03:54
and what the NASA scientist showed was that with a simple analysis
00:03:57
you can show that that was moving at forty miles-an-hour.
00:04:00
So certainly nothing very extra-terrestrial about that.
00:04:04
The scientists found that
00:04:05
although it looks like the object was travelling very fast,
00:04:09
it was only moving at forty miles-an-hour,
00:04:12
which Adam says is not very extra-terrestrial. Extra-terrestrial means
00:04:17
'from outside Earth', and is another word often used to describe aliens.
00:04:23
So, it seems that for now, scientists will need to find
00:04:27
much more proof to know exactly whether we're alone in the universe or not.
00:04:32
OK Beth, I think it's time I revealed the answer to my question.
00:04:36
I asked you which country has had the highest number of reported sightings
00:04:41
since records began,
00:04:43
according to the National UFO Reporting Centre.
00:04:46
And I guessed the USA.
00:04:48
Which was the correct answer,
00:04:51
there have been over 100,000 reported sightings
00:04:54
and encounters with UFOs in the USA since 1947.
00:05:00
OK, let's recap the vocabulary
00:05:02
we've learned from this programme, starting
00:05:04
with 'UAP' - an acronym that stands for 'unidentified anomalous phenomena'
00:05:13
and is another word meaning alien or UFO.
00:05:14
A 'flying saucer' is a disc-shaped craft supposedly flown by aliens.
00:05:20
'Integrity' means being honest
00:05:21
in what you say and
00:05:23
having moral principles.
00:05:24
'A personal testimony' is a story
00:05:27
or statement of evidence supported by a person
00:05:30
and what they saw, rather than external evidence or hard facts.
00:05:34
If you 'get a handle on' something you understand it
00:05:37
and are able to deal with it.
00:05:40
And finally 'extra-terrestrial' means from outside Earth
00:05:44
and is another word often used to describe aliens.
00:05:47
Once again, our six minutes are up.
00:05:49
Join us again soon for more useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute
00:05:53
English. Goodbye for now. Bye!
00:05:56
If you like 6 Minute English,
00:05:58
why not try our News Review podcast, where you can learn vocabulary
00:06:02
From the latest news headlines,