Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a lawmaker
    • ex. The lawmakers decided to create a new law that protects the rights of children.
  2. controversial
    • ex. The movie is controversial. A lot of people have different opinions about its topic.
  3. evolution
    • ex. Over millions of years, plants and animals have undergone evolution.
  4. a species
    • ex. Dolphins are marine species known for their intelligence.
  5. ridicule
    • ex. He did something embarrassing. Now, he receives ridicule from his friends.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Mexico’s lawmakers recently spent a lot of time discussing a controversial topic. José Jaime Maussan, a journalist, and his group of Peruvian doctors said they had found aliens in Peru. This happened less than three weeks after Hurricane Otis damaged Acapulco. The lawmakers dedicated more than three hours to this discussion.

In September, Maussan showed two boxes with supposed mummies found in Peru. He said they were “non-human beings that are not part of Earth’s evolution.” Dr. Daniel Mendoza showed photographs and x-rays of what he said was a “non-human being.” Maussan said it was a “new species” because it did not have lungs or ribs. He received ridicule from people around the world because of this.

In 2017, Maussan made similar claims that turned out to be fake. The bodies were actually dolls which have been covered with paper and glue to make them look like skin. Still, lawmaker Sergio Gutiérrez Luna said, “All ideas and all proposals will always be welcome to discuss them, hear them to agree with or not.”

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Aliens

  • Do you believe that there are non-human beings or aliens out there? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine that aliens are real. Would you like to meet one? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, should scientists spend time searching for aliens? Why or why not? Discuss.

Controversial Topics

  • In your opinion, are aliens and non-human beings a controversial topic? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The lawmakers dedicated more than three hours to discussing aliens found in Peru. In your opinion, is it okay for governments to talk about controversial topics like this? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • In 2017, Maussan’s claims were proven to be fake. Would you still trust someone’s claims about a controversial topic that turns out to be fake? Why or why not? Discuss.