浙江平阳中学2024年高考英语倒计时模拟卷含解析

浙江平阳中学2024年高考英语倒计时模拟卷请考生注意：1．请用2B铅笔将选择题答案涂填在答题纸相应位置上，请用0．5毫米及以上黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔将主观题的答案写在答题纸相应的答题区内。写在试题卷、草稿纸上均无效。2．答题前，认真阅读答题纸上的《注意事项》，按规定答题。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Yumin,thelatefamousphysicist,oftenencouragedhisstudentsto_____whattheybelievedin,evenwhenfacingstrongopposition.A．comeupwith B．takechargeofC．putupwith D．standupfor2．Thenewsupermarketannouncedthatthefirsttopurchasegoodsontheopeningday______________getabigprize.A．must B．willC．shall D．need3．IwishI______photographythen.Ifso,Icouldgiveyouahandatpresent.A．studied B．hadstudiedC．havestudied D．willstudy4．_____isoftenthecase,wehaveworkedouttheproductionplan.A．WhichB．WhenC．WhatD．As5．Thedocumentfilm______nextweekaimsatintroducinglocalculturestotheworld.A．released B．beingreleasedC．tobereleased D．havingbeenreleased6．---Areyoufreenow?Ihavesomethinginterestingtotellyou.---OK,youmakeitshortIwillhavetoworkonthistermpaperduetomorrow.A．nowthatB．assoonasC．everytimeD．aslongas7．Theseniorteacheralwaysgoesswimminganddoespush-upstostay________.A．inplace B．inorderC．inshape D．infashion8．________anincreaseinforeignlegalconflicts，Chinaisexpectedtoseethenumbercontinuetorise．A．Towitness B．BeingwitnessedC．Witnessed D．Havingwitnessed9．-----Myroomgetsverycoldatnight.-----_________________.A．Soismine B．Somineis C．Sodoesmine D．Sominedoes10．EveryfouryearsAmericans__________thetransferofpower.A．carryoverB．carryoffC．carryonD．carryout11．________yourecognizeanidiomwhenitisbeingused,itiseasytomisunderstandwhatyoureadorhear.A．Unless B．AfterC．Once D．Since12．Afterthreeyearsofpreparationforthe2011Xi’anInternationalHorticulturalExpo(西安园博)会），thecityispresentingtheworld______manypeoplethinkisthegreenSpecialOlympics．A．that B．which C．what D．where13．Thehigh-anxietyfocusonreadingscoremayhavenarrowedstudent________toknowledgeabouttheworldthatcanimprovetheirreading.A．idea B．aid C．belief D．access14．Halfwaythroughthechapter____Ididn’ttakeanythingin.A．didIrealize B．hadIrealizedC．Irealized D．Iwouldrealize15．_____________equalopportunities,bothFrankandBillymayaccomplishthetask.A．Given B．GivingC．Togive D．tobegiven16．Somepeoplecreatejobs,fosterexcitementandbasicallymakethesystemwork.Theyseepossibilities________othersseeonlyproblems.A．that B．what C．which D．where17．Mywifesometimes_____somethingshehaslongbeenlookingfor.That’swhysheenjoyswindowshopping.A．looksup B．looksfor C．picksup D．picksout18．—Ihavebeendecoratingtheapartmentrecently,socanyoulendmesomemoney?—Sorry,allmymoneyhasgonetothestockmarket._________.A．I’drathernot. B．Iamintheblack.C．Iwouldn’tbetonit. D．Iamalittleshy.19．---.Wedidn’tfindtheBlacksduringthelecture.---Noonehadtoldthemabout_____alecture.A．theretobe B．therebeing C．therebe D．therewas20．PeopleexpectShanghaiDisneylandParktoofferbetterservicethan________ofTokyo’s.A．this B．it C．one D．that第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21．（6分）YoungpeopleintheUnitedStatesdonothaveastrongunderstandingoftheworldandtheirplaceinit.TwoUS-basedgroups,theCouncilonForeignRelationsandtheNationalGeographicSociety,conductedanonlinesurveylastyear.TheywantedtoknowwhatyoungpeopleinAmericancollegesknewaboutgeography,U.S.foreignpolicy,recentinternationalevents,andeconomics.Thesurveywasgiventoover1,200Americansbetweentheagesof18and26,allofthempresentlyattending,orhavingpreviouslygraduatedfrom.a2-or4-yearcollegeoruniversity.Theaveragetestscore,outof75totalpossibleanswers,was55percent.Thestudyidentifiesafewimportantproblems.Forexample,only30percentknewthattheonlypartoftheU.S.governmentthatcandeclarewarisCongress.Only60%ofthosetakingthesurveycouldidentifyBrazilonaworldmap.“Partoftheproblem,”arguetheorganizersofthesurvey,“istheInternet.”Theysayitisbecominghardertofindhigh-qualityinformationaboutworldeventsamongallthefakenewsandtrivia(琐事)whichswamp(淹没)theweb.Forty-threepercentofthosequestionedsaidtheyreadaboutthenewsonFacebook.Anotherproblemisthatmostcollegecoursesdonotrequirestudentstolearnaboutinternationalissues.Ifsuchinformationisnotrequired,RichardHaassfromtheCouncilonForeignRelationssaid,thentheUnitedStatescouldhaveleaderslikeGaryJohnson.HewasarecentpresidentialcandidatewhodidnotknowabouttheSyriancityofAleppowhenareporteraskedhimaboutit.Thesurveyresultswerenotallbad.Theyoungpeoplealsodemonstratedagoodunderstandingofclimatechangeandrenewableenergy.Andthemajorityofthemsaidthatinternationalissueswerebecomingmoreimportanttothem.Haasssaysthesefindingssuggesttheneedtofindwaystogetgoodinformationforstudents,bothinschoolandonline.Tohelp,theCouncilonForeignRelationsiscreatinganewprogramcalledCFRCampus,designedtohelpbuildknowledgeaboutglobalissues.1、Whatdoweknowaboutthesurvey?A．Theparticipantswereallrecentuniversitygraduates.B．ItwasanonlinesurveyconductedbytwoUSuniversities.C．Itwasgiventoover1,200Americanpeopleagedfrom18to26.D．ItaimedtofindoutwhattheyoungpeopleknowaboutAmerica.2、What’sonereasontheorganizersofthesurveygiveforyoungpeople’slackofknowledge?A．ThepoorqualityoftheUSuniversitysystem.B．Youngpeople’sunwillingnesstotravelabroad.C．ThesourcesfromwhichtheygeltheirinformationD．Theirlackofinterestinknowingmoreabouttheworld.3、WhattopicdidtheyoungAmericansunderstandbestaccordingtothesurvey?A．Governmentorganizations.B．Geographicinformation.C．Foreignrelations.D．Environmentalmatters.4、Inwhichpartofanewspapercouldwefindthisarticle?A．Economics. B．Education.C．NationalPolitics. D．Entertainment.22．（8分）Itisnotonlypraiseorpunishmentthatdeterminesachild’slevelofconfidence.Therearesomeotherimportantwaysweshapeourkids—particularlybygivinginstructionsandcommandsinanegativeorpositivechoiceofwords.Forexample,wecansaytoachild“Don’trunintotraffic!”or“Stayonthefootpathclosetome.”Inusingthelatter,youwillbehelpingyourkidstothinkandactpositively,andtofeelcompetentinawiderangeofsituation,becausetheyknowwhattodo,andaren’tscaringthemselvesaboutwhatnottodo.Actually,itisallinthewaythehumanmindworks.Whatwethink,weautomaticallyrehearse.Forexample,ifsomeoneofferedyouamilliondollarsnottothinkofabluemonkeyfortwominutes,youwouldn’tbeabletodoit.Whenachildistold“Don’tfalloffthetree,”hewillthinkoftwothings:“don’t”and“falloffthetree”.Thatis,hewillautomaticallycreatethepictureoffallingoffthetreeinhismind.Achildwhoisvividlyimaginingfallingoffthetreeismuchmorelikelytofalloff.Soitisfarbettertouse“Holdontothetreecarefully.”Clearly,positiveinstructionshelpkidstounderstandtherightwaytodothings.Kidsdonotalwaysknowhowtobesafe,orhowtoreacttothewarningofthedangerinnegativewords.Soparentsshouldmaketheircommandspositive.“Sam,holdonfirmtothesideoftheboat”ismuchmoreusefulthan“Don’tyoudaretofalloutoftheboat?”orworsestill“HowdoyouthinkI’llfeelifyoudrown?”Thechangesaresmallbutdifferenceisobvious.Childrenlearnhowtoguideandorganizethemselvesfromthewayweguidethemwithourwords,soitpaystobepositive.1、Positivechoiceofwordshelpskidsto______.A．dothingscarefullyB．learnindifferentsituationsC．improvetheirimaginationD．builduptheirconfidence2、WhatcanweinferfromParagraph2?A．Onecan’thelpimaginingwhatisheard.B．Achildwillactonwhatisinstructed.C．Achildwillfalloffthetreewhentoldnotto.D．Onewon’tthinkofabluemonkeywhengivenmoney.3、Whichofthefollowingcommandshelpskidstobesafe?A．Fastenyourseatbelt.B．Don’tplaybythelake.C．HowdoyouthinkI’llfeelifyougethurt?D．Don’tyoudaretowalkthroughtheredlight?4、Themainideaofthepassageisthat______.A．praisemakeskidsconfidentB．rightinstructionskeepkidssafeC．positiveinstructionsguidekidsD．clearcommandsmakekidsdifferent23．（8分）Doyouwanttoliveanother100yearsormore?Someexpertssaythatscientificadvanceswillonedayenablehumanstolasttensofyearsbeyondwhatisnowseenasthenaturallimitofthehumanlifespan.“Ithinkweareknockingatthedoorofimmortality(永生),”saidMichaelZey,aMontclairStateUniversitybusinessprofessorandauthoroftwobooksonthefuture.“Ithinkby2075wewillseeitandthat’saconservativeestimate(保守的估计).”AttheconferenceinSanFrancisco,DonaldLouria,aprofessoratNewJerseyMedicalSchoolinNewarksaidadvancesinusinggenesaswellasnanotechnology(纳米技术)makeitlikelythathumanswillliveinthefuturebeyondwhathasbeenpossibleinthepast.“Thereisagreateffortsothatpeoplecanlivefrom120to180years,”hesaid.“Somehavesuggestedthatthereisnolimitandthatpeoplecouldliveto200or300or500years.”However,manyscientistswhospecializeinagingaredoubtfulaboutitandsaythehumanbodyisjustnotdesignedtolastpastabout120years.Evenwithhealthierlifestylesandlessdisease,theysayfailureofthebrainandorganswillfinallyleadallhumanstodeath.Scientistsalsodifferonwhatkindoflifethesuperagedmightlive.“Itremainstobeseenifyoupass120,youknow;couldyoubehealthyenoughtohavegoodqualityoflife?”saidLeonardPoon,directoroftheUniversityofGeorgiaGerontologyCentre.“Atpresentpeoplewhocouldgettothatpointarenotingoodhealthatall.”1、Bysaying“weareknockingatthedoorofimmortality”,MichaelZeymeans.A．theybelievethatthereisnolimitoflivingB．theyaresuretofindthetruthaboutlonglivingC．theyhavegotsomeideasaboutlivingforeverD．theyareabletomakepeoplelivepastthepresentlifespan2、DonaldLouria’sattitudetowardslonglivingisthat.A．peoplecanlivefrom120to180B．itisstilldoubtfulhowlonghumanscanliveC．thehumanbodyisdesignedtolastpastabout120yearsD．itispossibleforhumanstolivelongerinthefuture3、Theunderlined“it”(inparagraph4)refersto.A．agreateffortB．theideaoflivingbeyondthepresentlifespanC．theideaoflivingfrom200to300yearsD．theconservativeestimate4、Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthistext?A．LivingLongerorNotB．Science,TechnologyandLongLivingC．NoLimitforHumanLifeD．HealthyLifestyleandLongLiving24．（8分）“Facts”ThatAreFalseThe$100billisthebiggestbillincirculation.Althoughthefederalgovernmentstoppedprintingthemin1945,currencynotesof$500,$1,000,$5,000,and$10,000arestilllegaltender.Mostofthemhavebeensnatchedupbyprivatecollectors.BetweenDecember18,1934,andJanuary9,1935,thegovernmentputout$100,000notes.However,theywereonlyfortransactionsbetweenFederalReservebanksandneverwentouttothegeneralpublic.TheSaharaistheworld’slargestdesert.Technically,Antarcticais.TheU.S.GeologicalSurveydefinesadesertas“drylandwitharainfallofusuallylessthanteninchesperyearthatsupportsonlysparsevegetationandalimitedpopulationofpeopleandanimals.”Antarcticaaveragesonlysixinchesofrainayear(mostlyassnow)andisalmost5.5millionsquaremiles.TheSaharaisonly3.3millionsquaremiles.Thegreenpasteservedwithyoursushiiswasabi.Wasabiisexpensiveanddifficulttogrow.Sinceit’sinthesamefamily,mostrestaurantsandfoodcompaniesusehorseradish(withfoodcoloring)instead.RealwasabiismorecomplexandsweeterthanwhatyougetinatypicalJapaneserestaurant._______________________________________Theostricheswouldsuffocate(窒息)iftheydid.Ifanenemyisapproaching,afrightenedostrichwilllayitsheadandneckflatagainstthegroundasacamouflage(伪装)ploy.Somehumanonlookershaveassumedthatthebirds’light-coloredheadswereactuallyinthesand.258、WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?A．Asotherbiggerbillsareoutofprint,the$100billisstillthebiggestone.B．Antarcticawithverylittlerainfallisconsideredasthelargestdesert.C．Horseradishcanbesubstitutedwithwasabiforthesimilartasteandcolor.D．Anostrichoftenusesitsheadasaweapontofightagainstitsenemy.1、Whichofthefollowingisthebestfitfortheblank?A．Ostrichescanbreatheinthesand.B．Ostricheshaveverysmartbrains.C．Ostrichesburytheirheadsinthesand.D．Theostrich’sheadisthelightestintheworld.25．（10分）AnyforeignerwhohastriedtolearnChinesecantellhowharditistomasterthetonesrequiredtospeakandunderstand.Andanyonewhohastriedtolearntoplaytheviolinorotherinstrumentscanreportsimilarchallenges.NowresearchershavefoundthatpeoplewithmusicaltraininghaveaneasiertimelearningChinese.WritingintheonlineeditionofNatureNeuroscience，researchersfromNorthwesternUniversitysaythatbothskillsdrawonthesamepartsofthebrainthathelppeoplediscoverchangesinpitch(音调).Oneofthestudy'sauthors，NinaKraus，saidthefindingssuggestedthatstudyingmusic“actuallytunesoursensorysystem”.Thismeansthatschoolsthatwantchildrentodowellinlanguagesshouldhesitatebeforecuttingmusicprograms，Dr.Kraussaid.Shesaidmusictrainingmightalsohelpchildrenwithlanguageproblems.Mandarin(普通话)speakershavebeenshowntohaveamorecomplexencoding(编码)ofpitchpatternsintheirbrainsthanEnglishspeakersdo.ThisisbecauseinMandarinandotherAsianlanguages，pitchplaysacentralrole.Asingle­syllablewordcanhaveseveralmeaningsdependingonhowitisintoned.Forthisstudy，theresearcherslookedat20non­Chinesespeakingvolunteers，halfwithnomusicalbackgroundandhalfwhohavestudiedaninstrumentforatleastsixyears.Astheywereshownamovie，thevolunteersalsoheardanaudiotapeoftheMandarinword“mi”inthreeofitsmeanings:squint，bewilderandrice.Theresearchersrecordedactivitiesintheirbrainstemstoseehowwelltheywereprocessingthesounds.ThosewithamusicbackgroundshowedmuchmorebrainactivitiesinresponsetotheChinesesounds.Theleadauthorofthestudy，PatrickC．M.Wong，saiditmightworkbothways.Itappearsthatnativespeakersoftonallanguagesmaydobetteratlearninginstruments.1、WhenlearningChinese，aforeignerwillfind________.A．hehasadifficulttimelearningmusicatthesametimeB．hehasaneasiertimelearningmusicatthesametimeC．itishardtomasterthetonesrequiredtospeakandunderstandD．itiseasytousethebraintohelphimdiscoverchangesinpitch2、WhydoesChineselearninghavesomethingtodowithmusictraining?A．BecausethereisthesamedifficultyinlearningChineseandmusic.B．Becauseskillstolearnthetwomakeuseofthesamepartsofthebrain.C．Becausemusictrainingmighthelppeoplewithlanguagestudy.D．BecausepeoplewhodowellinChinesestudydowellinmusic.3、Theunderlinedword“intoned”inthefourthparagraphcanbereplacedbytheword“____”.A．created B．spelled C．seemed D．pronounced4、Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthispassage?A．MandarinSpeakersAreSmarterthanEnglishSpeakersB．SkilledEarforMusicMayHelpLanguageStudyC．PitchPlaysaCentralRoleinChineseLearningD．SchoolsNeedtoDevelopMusicPrograms第三部分语言知识运用（共两节）第一节（每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项．26．（30分）阅读下面短文，从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选取出适合填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。“Now,”Mrs.VirginiaDeViewsaid,smiling,“wearegoingtodiscoverourprofessions.”Theclassseemedtobegreatlysurprised.Ourprofessions?Wewereonly13and14yearsold!Theteachermustbe1.“Yes,youwillallbesearchingforyourfuture2Eachofyouwillhaveto3someoneinyourfield,plusgiveanoralreport.”Eachdayinherclass,VirginiaDeViewremindedusaboutthis.Finally,Ipickedprintjournalism.This4Ihadtogotointerviewatrue-bluenewspaperreporter.Iwasextremelynervous.Isatdowninfrontofhim5abletospeak.Helookedatmeandsaid,“Didyoubringapencilorpen?”Ishookmyhead.“Howaboutsome6?”Ishookmyheadagain.Finally,IthoughtherealizedIwas7,andIgotmyfirstbigtipasa8“Never,nevergoanywherewithoutapenandpaper.Youneverknowwhatyou’llruninto.”Afterafewdays,Igavemyoralreporttotallyfrom9inclass.IgotanAontheentireproject.Yearslater,Iwasincollegelookingaroundforanewcareer,butwithnosuccess.ThenI10VirginiaDeViewandmydesireat13tobeajournalist.AndIcalledmyparents.Theydidn’t11me.Theyjustremindedmehowcompetitivethefieldwasand12allmylifeIhadrunawayfromcompetition.Thiswastrue.Butjournalismdidsomethingtome:itwasinmyblood.13gavemethefreedomtogouptototalstrangersandaskwhatwas14Forthepast12years,I’vehadthemostsatisfyingreportingcareer,15storiesfrommurderstoairplanecrashesand16choosingmystrongestarea.17Iwenttopickupmyphoneoneday,anincrediblewaveofmemorieshitmeandIrealizedthathaditnotbeen18VirginiaDeView,Iwouldnotbesittingatthatdesk.Iget19allthetime:“Howdidyoupickjournalism?”“Well,yousee,therewasthisteacher…”Ialwaysstartout.IjustwishIcould20her.1、.A．good B．mad C．careless D．curious2、.A．university B．family C．professions D．life3、.A．interview B．findout C．admire D．learnfrom4、A．expressed B．ordered C．expected D．meant5、.A．hardly B．nearly C．naturally D．eagerly6、.A．drink B．newspapers C．preparations D．paper7、A．satisfied B．comfortable C．terrified D．sorry8、A．student B．journalist C．teacher D．writer9、.A．research B．books C．imagination D．memory10、.A．called B．recognized C．remembered D．visited11、.A．answer B．promise C．stop D．persuade12、.A．how B．whether C．why D．when13、.A．It B．VirginiaDeView C．Myparents D．Myoralreport14、.A．breakingin B．gettingdown C．fallingoff D．goingon15、.A．makingup B．listeningto C．covering D．writing16、.A．ofcourse B．finally C．doubtfully D．aboveall17、.A．When B．Aslongas C．Once D．Onconditionthat18、.A．for B．with C．of D．to19、A．hurt B．excited C．disappointed D．asked20、.A．respect B．support C．thank D．favor第二节（每小题1.5分，满分15分）阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。27．（15分）Parkour(跑酷)isasportwhichtrainspeopletodealwithanyphysicalobstaclesintheirpath.Itisnotacompetitionbutaphysicaltraining.Apersonjoininginparkouriscalledtraceur.Traceursrunalongapathanduseonlytheirbodiestodealwithobstaclesinthemostefficientway.Parkourpaysmoreattentiontoefficiency,1．(make)itdifferentfromthesimilarpracticeoffreerunning.Parkour2．(common)includesrunning,jumping,climbing,rollingandothersimilartypesofphysicalmovements.Manyteenagersthinkthatparkourisquite3．coolsport.Theyhavegreatinterestinit.The4．(invent)ofparkourcan’t5．(give)toonepersonbecausemanypeoplehaveworkedonit.Afrenchofficerdevelopedtheearlierformofparkour.Theterm“parkour”wasfirstintroducedbyDavidBelleandSebastiarFoucanintheearly1980s.6．thattime,theyweretwoteenagers.Thissport7．(become)morepopularinthe1990swhenmanyfilmsweremadeonit.8．makesparkourdifferentfromothersportsisitspowertobringpeopletogether.Itallowstraceurstoforgetthe9．(society)andotherproblems,andmakesalargegroupworkandgrowtogetherinsteadofcompetingwitheachother.Peoplecanbenefitfromparkourasitcanmakethemstronger.Still,italsoinfluencesone’sthoughtprocessbyimprovingself-confidenceandcritical-thinkingskills.Inthisway,parkourallowsonetodealwith10．(difficulty)indailylifeifheorshedealswiththemthroughparkour.第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。增加；在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。Ilefthomeat17andpaymyownwaythroughcollege.Inthepast20years,IhaveworkedforeverythingIneeded.Soitshocksmewhatsomepeopleintheir20s,stillgettheirlifesupportedbyourparents.Someoftheseparentshavedifficultsupportingtheirfamilies.It’struethatthejobmarketismuchmoreharderthesedays.Therefore,therearecertainlysomewaystomakelivingonourown.Evenifourparentsisniceenoughtopayforourcollege,weshouldn’tburdenthemwithourproblems.Weshouldbefinancialresponsibleadults,madeourparentsproudofus.第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你的名字叫李华，请你给报社的编辑写一封信，针对最近有关英语学习的大讨论表达自己的观点。支持反对1学习任何一门外语都要从娃娃抓起，儿童时期是学习语言的黄金时期。中国孩子没有必要从小就学英语，增加了孩子和家长不必要的负担。2英语具备很强的实用性很多人不需要用英语3英语学习和汉语学习有互通性英语学习冲击了汉语学习可以全部或部分引述以上观点，也可以适当发挥。要求：论点明确，逻辑清楚，表达充分连贯，语言准确。字数：100开头已经为你写好。Deareditor,I’mwritingthislettertoexpressmyconcernsabouttherecentwide-rangingdiscussionsaboutlearningEnglish.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,LiHua

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、D2、C3、B4、D5、C6、D7、C8、D9、C10、D11、A12、C13、D14、C15、A16、D17、C18、D19、B20、D第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21、Youcan’tmakeacallorsendatextonyourmobilephoneintheUStownofGreenBank,WestVirginia.WirelessInternetisoutlawed,asisBluetooth.Asyouapproachthetinytownonatwo-laneroadthatsnakesthroughthemountains,yourmobilephonesignaldropsout,andyourradiostopsworking.Therustedpayphoneonthenorthsideoftownistheonlywayforavisitortoreachtherestoftheworld.It’sapre-modernplacebydesign,lackingofthelatesttechnologiesthatdefinelifetoday.Thereasonforthetown’semptyairwavesisapparentthemomentyouarrive.It’stheRobertC．Byrdtelescope,alsoknownastheGBT,ashinywhite,147-metre-tallsatellitedish.It’sthelargestofitskindintheworldandoneofnineinGreenBank,allofthemgovernmentownedandoperatedbytheNationalRadioAstronomyObservatory(NRAO).Youdon’tlookthroughthesekindsoftelescopes.They’reradiotelescopes,soinsteadoflookingfordistantstars,theylistenforthem.There’salonglineofastronomersallovertheworldwhowanttousethetelescopewhichissosensitivethatitcouldhearasinglesnowflakehittingtheground1,000milesaway.Suchasensitivelisteningtoolneedstotaltechnologicalsilencetooperate,soin1958theUSgovernmentcreatedaNationalRadioQuietZone,a33,000km2areacoveringGreenBankwhere,tothisday,electronicandradiosignalsareforbiddeneveryhourofeveryday.Peoplewholivewithina15kmoftheGreenBanktelescopeareallowedtouselandlinetelephones,wiredInternetandcabletelevisions,butmicrowaveovens,wirelessInternetan