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Pentagon Releases 162 UFO Files — episode cover art
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五角大楼公开了162份UFO档案:里面有"球生球",还有月球上的奇怪光

Pentagon Releases 162 UFO Files

About this story

Pentagon releases 162 UFO files on war.gov — orbs spawning orbs, strange Apollo 17 lights on the moon, and what's inside. HSK 3 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 18 key vocabulary words such as 档案、公开、透明 and walks through 7 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.

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原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

我们今天聊一个最近大家都在说的事。
五月八号,美国政府放出了一批 UFO 档案。
你听到 UFO 这两个字,可能会想到电影。
但是这次,是真的,是美国政府自己公开的。
有一百六十二份,里面有照片、视频、报告。
都放在一个网站上,谁都可以看。
我们今天就聊一下,里面有什么、为什么这件事很重要、还有:这告诉了我们什么。
先说一下背景。
"UFO"是英文 Unidentified Flying Object,中文一般叫"不明飞行物"。
就是说:天上有一个东西,你看见了,但是你不知道它是什么。
不是飞机,不是鸟,不是云,什么都不是。
这种事,从很久以前就有人看到。
而且看到的人,不只是普通老百姓。
也有警察,有军人,有飞行员,甚至有宇航员。
听起来不太靠谱,但是这次的档案,都是来自这些"专业人"。
所以特别让人想看。
这次美国政府做了一个新网站,网址是 war.gov/ufo。
他们说:我们要做"最高的透明度",要把档案给大家看。
什么是"透明"?
透明,就是清楚,没有秘密。
这一次,他们一下子放了一百六十二份,之后还会放更多。
就像剥洋葱,一层一层地打开。
那里面有什么有意思的故事?
我们说三个。
第一个故事,叫"球生球",是2023年的事。
在美国西边的几个州,有七个联邦警察,他们都是政府里工作的人。
他们看到了天上有一些球——不是一个,是好几个。
是橘色的球。
但是奇怪的是,这些球会"生"出小球。
怎么生?
一个橘色的大球,忽然变成大球加几个红色的小球。
小球从大球里飞出来,就像母鸡生蛋,但是是在空中。
他们还看见了一个大的发光球,挂在那里不动。
还看见了一个像风筝一样的"半透明"东西。
"半透明"是什么意思?
就是你能看穿,但是又能看到形状。
七个人都看到了,他们都画了图,也都写了报告。
报告里说:"我们看到的东西,看起来不是普通的东西,我们看不出来是什么。
美国政府的 UFO 办公室说:这个故事,是他们目前最有意思的之一。
为什么?
因为人多,因为这些人不会乱说,因为他们看到的东西,真的不像普通的东西。
第二个故事,是2025年的事。
有一架军机和一架直升机,他们一起飞。
他们用一种特别的相机,叫"热成像"——就是看东西热不热的相机,天黑的时候也能用。
他们用这种相机看到了一个球,那个球非常非常热,"超级热"。
然后,奇怪的事情发生了:那个球突然加速,飞得很快。
然后"咔嚓"一声,分成了两个,又分成了四五个。
都是椭圆形的,都是橘色,中间发白发黄。
飞行员都很吃惊,他们说:"我从来没见过这种东西。
第三个故事,是最让人意外的。
你知道五十多年前,美国送人去过月亮,对吧?
那个时候叫"阿波罗计划",不是动画片里的,是真的。
人坐火箭,飞了三天,到了月亮,然后走在上面。
他们带回了月亮的石头,现在博物馆里还有。
但是这一次的档案告诉我们:那时候,宇航员看天的时候,也看到了很多奇怪的光。
比如阿波罗17号的人,他们说:"哇,我窗户外边有很多亮的东西。
还说:"等我们眼睛适应了黑暗,就开始看到很多闪光。
他们说,那些光,看起来不是错觉,是真的有"东西"。
听到这个,我也觉得有点冷。
你想,一个人在月亮上,然后看到一些不知道是什么的东西。
那个画面,比电影还有意思。
那这些东西,到底是不是外星人?
我觉得这是大家最想问的。
但是政府的回答非常清楚:他们说"我们不知道"。
真的不知道。
他们说:"我们没有证据是外星人,也没有证据不是。
"我们查了很多次,但是查不出来。
所以这些档案叫"未解的案例",没解开。
意思是:我们看到了,我们记下来了,但是我们说不清楚是什么。
那这次有什么新的看法吗?
其实没有。
他们是把以前不公开的东西公开了。
答案,还是和以前一样:"我们也不知道。
听起来有点像没有答案。
但是想想看,这其实也是一种答案——就是:"这个世界比我们想的,还要复杂。
那我们普通人,应该怎么看这件事?
我觉得有几个建议。
第一,不要太害怕。
就算这些东西真的存在,它们也已经在很多年前就被看到了。
我们一直好好地活着,日子也一直在过。
所以不用紧张。
第二,不要太相信网上的视频。
现在网上有很多假的UFO视频——有的是用电脑做的,有的是无人机,有的是云。
这次政府放出来的,是真正"专业人"看到的,和网上的不一样。
第三,可以保持好奇。
"好奇"就是想知道,想问。
我们生活在一个很有意思的时代,电脑越来越聪明,火箭越来越强。
但是有些东西,我们还是不知道。
这种"不知道",其实让生活更有意思。
最后我们想一想,这件事告诉我们什么?
我觉得有三件事。
第一,世界很大,天空很大,还有很多事情我们不知道。
第二,政府终于愿意公开了。
这是一个进步——以前要靠新闻爆料,现在政府自己说出来。
透明,是一件好事。
第三,"不知道"也是一种知识。
真正聪明的人,不是什么都知道,而是知道哪些事自己知道、哪些事自己不知道。
五角大楼这次的回答,其实就是这种态度。
所以下一次,你抬头看天空,如果看到一个奇怪的亮东西,不用着急,不用害怕,也不用马上说"是外星人"。
你可以想一想:也许这个东西,明天就出现在政府的网站上。
也许,还要再等几十年。
但是有一点是肯定的——你不是一个人在看。
全世界的人,也在和你一起,抬头看着天空。
English transcript reference

Today we're talking about something everyone is discussing lately.

On May 8, the US government released a batch of UFO files.

When you hear "UFO," you probably think of movies.

But this time it's real — released by the US government itself.

There are 162 files, including photos, videos, and reports.

All on a website that anyone can see.

Today we'll talk about what's inside, why it matters, and what it tells us.

First, some background.

"UFO" is English for Unidentified Flying Object — in Chinese it's usually called 不明飞行物.

That is: there's something in the sky, you saw it, but you don't know what it is.

Not a plane, not a bird, not a cloud — none of those.

This kind of thing has been seen for a very long time.

And the people who saw them aren't just ordinary citizens.

There are also police, military, pilots, even astronauts.

It sounds unreliable, but this batch of files is from these "professionals."

That's why people especially want to look.

This time the US government made a new website at war.gov/ufo.

They said: we want "maximum transparency" and to show the files to everyone.

What is "transparency"?

Transparency means clear, no secrets.

This time, they released 162 files at once, and more will come.

Like peeling an onion, opening one layer at a time.

What interesting stories are inside?

We'll cover three.

The first story is called "orbs spawning orbs," from 2023.

In several western US states, seven federal officers — all government workers — saw something in the sky.

They saw orbs — not one, several.

Orange orbs.

But strangely, these orbs would "spawn" smaller orbs.

How do they spawn?

A big orange orb suddenly became a big one plus several small red ones.

The small ones flew out of the big one, like a hen laying eggs — but in the sky.

They also saw a big glowing orb hovering in place, motionless.

And something like a "kite" that was "translucent."

What does "translucent" mean?

It means you can see through it but still see its shape.

All seven officers saw it, drew it, and wrote reports.

The reports said: "What we saw doesn't look like an ordinary thing — we can't tell what it is."

The US government's UFO office said: this story is among the most interesting they currently have.

Why?

Because there were many witnesses, because these people don't make things up, because what they saw really doesn't look like ordinary things.

The second story is from 2025.

A military jet and a helicopter were flying together.

They were using a special camera called "thermal imaging" — a camera that sees how hot things are; it works in the dark too.

With this camera, they saw an orb — a "super hot" one.

Then something strange happened: the orb suddenly accelerated and flew very fast.

Then with a "crack," it split into two, and then into four or five.

All oval-shaped, all orange, with white-yellow centers.

The pilots were stunned, and they said: "I've never seen anything like this."

The third story is the most surprising.

You know that over fifty years ago the US sent people to the moon, right?

Back then it was called "the Apollo program" — not the cartoon, the real one.

People rode rockets for three days to the moon, then walked on it.

They brought back moon rocks, which are still in museums today.

But this batch of files tells us: at that time, when the astronauts looked at the sky, they also saw lots of strange lights.

For example, the Apollo 17 crew said: "Wow, there are a lot of bright things outside my window."

They also said: "Once our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we started seeing lots of flashes."

They said those lights didn't look like illusions — there really was "something" there.

Hearing that, I felt a little chill too.

Imagine a person on the moon, seeing things they can't identify.

That image is more interesting than any movie.

So are these things aliens?

I think this is what everyone most wants to ask.

But the government's answer is very clear: they say "we don't know."

Really, they don't know.

They say: "We have no evidence they're aliens, and no evidence they aren't."

"We've checked many times, but we can't figure it out."

So these files are called "unresolved cases" — not solved.

Meaning: we saw it, we recorded it, but we can't say what it is.

So is there any new finding this time?

Actually no.

They've simply released what wasn't public before.

The answer is the same as before: "we don't know either."

That sounds like there's no answer.

But think about it — that itself is also an answer: "this world is more complicated than we thought."

So how should ordinary people view this?

I have a few suggestions.

First, don't be too afraid.

Even if these things really exist, they've been seen for many years already.

We've been living our lives, life keeps going.

So no need to be tense.

Second, don't trust UFO videos online too much.

There are many fake UFO videos online — some are made on a computer, some are drones, some are clouds.

What the government released this time was seen by real "professionals" — different from what's online.

Third, you can stay curious.

"Curious" means wanting to know, wanting to ask.

We live in a very interesting time — computers are smarter, rockets are stronger.

But there are still things we don't know.

That kind of "not knowing" actually makes life more interesting.

Finally, let's think — what does this tell us?

I think there are three things.

First, the world is big, the sky is big, and there are still many things we don't know.

Second, the government is finally willing to be open.

This is progress — it used to depend on news leaks; now the government tells us itself.

Transparency is a good thing.

Third, "not knowing" is also a form of knowledge.

Truly smart people don't know everything; they know what they know and what they don't.

The Pentagon's answer this time is exactly that kind of attitude.

So next time you look up at the sky, if you see a strange bright thing, don't panic, don't be afraid, and don't immediately say "it's aliens."

You can think: maybe that thing will appear on the government's website tomorrow.

Maybe we'll wait decades.

But one thing is certain — you're not the only one watching.

People all over the world are also looking up at the sky with you.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
dàng'ànfiles; archive

HSK 6. 档 (file) + 案 (case). The 162 official UFO files released.

gōngkāito make public; open

HSK 5. 公开档案 = release files publicly. Verb and adjective.

tòumíngtransparent; transparency

HSK 5. Glossed inline as '清楚,没有秘密'. The political slogan of this release.

rènzhēnserious; conscientious

HSK 4. 这些人不会乱说 — they're 认真.

zhèngjùevidence

HSK 5. 没有证据 = no evidence. Central to Pentagon's framing.

yǔhángyuánastronaut

HSK 6. The Apollo crews who reported strange lights.

hàoqícurious; curiosity

HSK 5. 保持好奇 = stay curious. The episode's recommended attitude.

jìnbùprogress; to improve

HSK 4. 这是一个进步 = this is progress.

tàidùattitude

HSK 4. 这种态度 = this attitude. Used in the episode's editorial close.

cōngmíngsmart

HSK 3. 真正聪明的人 = truly smart people. Used in the closing reflection.

qiú shēng qiúorbs spawning orbs (literal)

Specialist coinage for this episode. 球 (orb) + 生 (give birth/produce) + 球 (orb). Direct translation of the Pentagon's '浪举集体事件'.

júsèorange (color)

HSK 5. 橘 (tangerine) + 色 (color). The signature color of the orbs.

xuántíngto hover

HSK 6+. 悬 (suspended) + 停 (stop). The big stationary orb seen by the officers.

bàn tòumíngtranslucent; semi-transparent

HSK 6. 半 (half) + 透明 (transparent). Glossed inline.

rè chéngxiàngthermal imaging

Specialist. 热 (heat) + 成像 (imaging). The technology used in the 2025 case.

tuǒyuán xíngoval; ellipse-shaped

Specialist. 椭 (oblong) + 圆 (round) + 形 (shape). The shape of the orbs.

wàixīngrénalien; extraterrestrial

Beyond. The big question of UFO discourse.

wèijiě de àn'lìunresolved case

Specialist. 未解 (unresolved) + 案例 (case). The Pentagon's official label for these files.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法
X 也就是说 / 也就是 Y↗

'That is to say.' Used to restate or clarify in expository register.

也就是说:一个橘色的大球,忽然变成大球加几个红色的小球。

也就是说,一半是真的政策,一半是政治表演。

X 不是 ... 是 ...↗

Corrective: 'not A, but B.' Used for emphasis.

这次不是电影,是真的。

不是动画片里的,是真的。

X 决定 / 终于 + Verb↗

'X decides / finally does Y.' Modal of resolve / long-awaited action.

政府终于愿意公开了。

美国政府决定:"我们把这些东西,给大家看吧。"

X 听起来 ...,但是其实 ...↗

Hedge frame: 'sounds like X, but actually Y.' Sets up a reveal.

听起来不太靠谱,但是这次的档案,都是来自这些"专业人"。

听起来有点像没有答案。但是想想看,这其实也是一种答案。

X 把 + Object + Verb + Result

Disposal construction.

美国政府决定:"我们把这些东西,给大家看吧。"

他们是把以前不公开的东西公开了。

X 不只是 ...,还 ...↗

'Not only X, also Y.' Adds parallel points.

看到的人,不只是普通老百姓。也有警察,有军人,有飞行员,甚至有宇航员。

我们的电脑越来越聪明,火箭越来越强,但是有些东西,我们还是不知道。

X 越来越 + Adj↗

'More and more X.' Describes a trend.

电脑越来越聪明。

火箭越来越强。

Proper nouns

专有名词
五角大楼Wǔjiǎo Dàlóuthe Pentagon (literally 'five-cornered building')美国Měiguóthe United StatesUFOUFOUFO (unidentified flying object)war.govwar.govwar.gov (the US Department of War's official domain)阿波罗ĀbōluóApollo (the US lunar program)阿波罗17号Ābōluó ShíqīhàoApollo 17 (the final Apollo crewed lunar mission, 1972)FBIFBIFBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation)日本RìběnJapan

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