The question of extraterrestrial civilizations seems to me entirely open. Personally， I think it far more difficult to understand a universe in which we are the only technological civilization， or one of a very few， than to conceive of a cosmos brining over with intelligent life. Many aspects of the problem are， fortunately， amenable to experimental verification. We can search for planets of other stars， seek simple forms of life on such nearby planets as Mars， and perform more extensive laboratory studies on the chemistry of the origin of life. We can investigate more deeply the evolution of organisms and societies. The problem cries out for a long-term， open-minded， systematic search， with nature as the only arbitor of what is or is not likely
Phrases & Expressions
if any possibly none
seek out find （sb. or sth.） by looking hard
might very well be （very） likely to
to date until today； yet
band in hand with together with
be dedicated to be devoted to； be intended to be used for
along with together with
depend on following directly or logically from； turn on
so as to in order to
in a position to able to
brim over with have an abundance of
cry out for need badly
Proper Names
Carl Sagan卡尔。萨根
Greenbank格林班克
West Virginia西弗吉尼亚州
Frank Drake弗兰克。德雷克
Cornell University康乃尔大学
the Land of Oz奥兹国
the Soviet Union苏联
the Amazon亚马逊河
