A team of NASA researchers has just begun a formal investigation into UFOs, now referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).

Last week, the agency announced the 16 team members leading the study, which began Monday and will last for nine months. They will report their findings to the public in mid-2023, according to NASA. The team includes former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and science journalist Nadia Drake, as well as scientists who study the shape of the universe, black holes, computer engineering and other topics. The effort is meant to lay the groundwork for future study on the nature of UAPs for NASA and other organizations. The team will identify how data gathered by civilian government entities, commercial data, and data from other sources can potentially be analyzed to shed light on UAPs.

Following a 2021 report from the United States government centered on 144 unidentified flying objects, there has been much federal attention on these phenomena. Congress held a public hearing on UAPs in May, and the US DoD(国防部) announced it was forming an office to study UAPs in July. But most UAP research to date has been conducted by military and intelligence organizations. They take a different approach to the topic, “which is ‘We’re not interested in this as a scientific issue’. That’s not on our agenda,” Pennsylvania State University historian Greg Eghigian said.

Developing an understanding of UAPs isn’t just about looking for alien life. The flying objects could have implications for national security, and NASA hopes the findings will improve aircraft safety. Collecting data on UAPs might be a first step in making them less harmful to better protect air traffic. So far, NASA doesn’t have a hypothesis for what UAPs may be. For now, though, “there is no evidence UAPs are extraterrestrial(外星球的) in origin,” NASA said in the June statement. But even if the study reveals nothing about alien life, it might still learn something new about Earth’s atmosphere, wrote Scientific American.

1.Why did NASA start the project on UAPs?

A To gather data from all sources.

B To prepare for later study on UAPs.

C To learn more about black holes.

D To study the shape of the universe.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段的“The effort is meant to lay the groundwork for future study on the nature of UAPs for NASA and other organizations.”可知，NASA该项目的目的是为未来研究UAP（不明飞行现象）做准备。故选B。

2.What’s the US DoD’s attitude to UAP research?

A They show little interest in it.

B They release numerous reports on it.

C They were doubtful about its safety.

D They don’t regard it as a scientific topic.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第三段中的“But most UAP research to date has been conducted by military and intelligence organizations. They take a different approach to the topic, “which is ‘We’re not interested in this as a scientific issue’”可知，目前为止研究不明飞行现象的机构多是军事情报组织，他们并不把该研究课题作为科学问题来对待。故选D。

3.What’s the last paragraph mainly about?

A Suggestions for future UAP studies.

B A major limitation of the UAP study.

C The significance of the UAP study.

D The achievement of the UAP study.

解析：选C。C 段落大意题。根据最后一段中的关键词“isn’t just about looking for alien life”“improve aircraft safety”以及“learn something new about Earth’s atmosphere”可知，研究不明飞行现象可以带来一些好处，即本段主要谈论了对不明飞行现象的研究意义。故选C。

4.What is the suitable title for the passage?

A UAPs Catch Much Attention.

B NASA Team Begins Study of UFOs.

C NASA Aims to Look for Alien Life.

D A 2021 Report Led to An Investigation.

解析：选B。B 主旨大意题。本文主要报道了美国国家航空航天局（NASA）开启一项有关不明飞行物的新研究，该研究小组由物理学、天体生物学等16名科学家组成。故选B。