同学们，外星人是人类对地球以外智慧生命的统称。古今中外一直有关于外星人的遐想，但现今人类还无法实际探查是否有外星人存在，虽然一直以来，很多人声称自己见证外星人造访地球，甚至与自己发生接触，但是大多数学者专家相信，人类与外星人所谓不同程度的接触，其实都是心理作用，人类发现“外星人”的机会很小，即使发现有外星人的存在，也几乎很难与它们发生任何接触。在过去 50年的搜寻中，天文学家并没有发现任何外星人的确凿线索。但是从理论上说，宇宙中存在其他智慧生物几乎是必然的。至于人类是否有机会与之接触，还不得而知。
Nearly half the population believes UFOs could be a sign of extraterrestrial visitation.
几乎半数的美国人相信 UFO就是外星人对地球的探视。
A HuffPost/ YouGov poll reveals that 48 percent of adults in the United States are open to the idea that alien spacecraft are observing our planet - - and just 35 percent outright reject the idea.
根据哈芬登邮报的报道，有百分之 48的美国人认为外星生物在探视地球，只有百分之 35的人完全不赞同这个观点。
The poll was seen as vindication from the community of UFO researchers who often feel they are laughed off by government officials.
这份民意调查让 UFO研究员们获得了强大的群众支持，尽管他们知道政府对这种研究的态度是一笑了之的。
" It's always been intriguing to me how we act as though only kooks and quacks and little old ladies in tennis shoes believe in flying saucers. And it's never been true, at least for 30 or 40 years," said former nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman, who was the original civilian investigator of the events surrounding the legendary Roswell, NM, UFO crash of 1947.
“我们的行为也许看起来很愚蠢很傻，似乎是老眼昏花的老太太们才会相信看到飞碟。但这却是让我着迷，虽然，也许未来的 30到 40年里，都不能被证实。”前核物理学家， Stanton Friedman如是说。 Stanton Friedman曾以民间 UFO调查员的身份参加过 1947罗斯维尔 UFO坠毁事件。
Friedman is very outspoken on the idea that some UFOs are intelligently controlled extraterrestrial vehicles.
Friedman直言不讳对说 UFO就是外形生物的飞行器。
" The believers are far more quiet, but far more on the side of reality," Friedman told The Huffington Post. " When you look at the polls, it's clear. And I see the benefit of that, personally, because I've only had 11 hecklers in over 700 lectures. I've been out there, all over the place, in every state, 18 other countries, and I know that my audience is more than tolerant— they're accepting. It's been one of the things that really has kept me going."
“虽然相信 UFO存在的人很沉默，但是这个信念也许离真想更接近。” Friedman对报社记者讲到。“美国人对 UFO存在与否的民意调查，能证明我的想法是对的。我能从民意调查中感觉到支持。我在全美国各个州以及 18个国家开展的 700堂关于 UFO的讲学中，只受到过 11个反对者的质问。所以我明确，来听我课的人不是被我的课说服的，他们其实已经接受了 UFO存在的事实。这也是让我继续研究的动力。”
In the HuffPost/ YouGov poll, conducted between Sept. 6-7, 1,000 adults were asked if they either believed or didn't believe that some people have witnessed UFOs that have an extraterrestrial origin.
今年 9月，哈芬登邮报组织的这次民意调查，对 60000到 71000的成年人进行采访。采访的内容是：是否认为人们宣称看到的飞行物是外星人的飞行器？
When YouGov offered respondents the choice between" slightly disagree,"" disagree" and" strongly disagree," those numbers added up to 35 percent who are skeptical of the notion that any UFOs may be alien-related.
调查答案中选择“不太相信”、“不相信”、“完全不信”的人在被调查人群中站到百分之 35.
However, nearly half of the adults surveyed( 48 percent) resounded in the affirmative, leaving 16 percent who indicated that they weren't sure on either side of the ET issue.
然而，近半数的被调查对象回应道相信 UFO就是外星人飞行器。百分之 16的被调查者对这个问题不置可否。
同学们，你们对此有什么看法呢？
