湖南省湘潭市湘機(jī)中學(xué)2025屆高考考前模擬英語(yǔ)試題含解析

湖南省湘潭市湘機(jī)中學(xué)2025屆高考考前模擬英語(yǔ)試題注意事項(xiàng)1．考生要認(rèn)真填寫考場(chǎng)號(hào)和座位序號(hào)。2．試題所有答案必須填涂或書寫在答題卡上，在試卷上作答無(wú)效。第一部分必須用2B鉛筆作答；第二部分必須用黑色字跡的簽字筆作答。3．考試結(jié)束后，考生須將試卷和答題卡放在桌面上，待監(jiān)考員收回。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．We______becarefulwiththewordswesaywhenweareangry.A．may B．can C．might D．should2．Shethentookthelittlekey,andopenedit,trembling,butcouldnotatfirstseeanything________,becausethewindowswereshut.A．plainlyB．closelyC．firmlyD．frequently3．Myteacheroftensaysthatsuccessinmakingmoneyisnotalwaysagood______ofsuccessinlife.A．beliefB．elementC．criterionD．instance4．Ineedtobemorematureandreadyto______mymistakes.A．holdonto B．cutoff C．makeupfor D．takeup5．TheteachercalledTomtohisofficebecausehewascaughtintheexam.A．tocheat B．cheating C．cheated D．cheat6．Passengers_____talktothedriverwhilethebusismoving,becauseitwilltakehisfocusofftheroad.A．wouldnot B．mustnotC．maynot D．neednot7．Changingthepasswordonyouraccountisn’talastingsolutionifyoudon’tremoveanyvirus，？A．don’tyou B．doyouC．isn’tit D．isit8．﹣Mom，I'llstayintoaccompanymygrandpathisevening．﹣________!A．Withpleasure B．NevermindC．Suityourself D．Itdepends9．Itisimmediatelyclear______thefinancialcrisiswillsoonbeover.A．since B．whatC．when D．whether10．Lookoverthere!Thereisalong,windingpath________uptothehouse.A．lead B．leadingC．led D．tolead11．Atschool,itisessentialthateverychild______equallyregardlessoffamilybackground.A．treatingB．treatedC．betreated D．istreated12．Whatactually______theaccidenthasnotyetbeendetermined.A．broughtout B．broughton C．broughtabout D．broughtup13．—UncleWangisinhospital.—Oh,really?I____________.I_____________goandvisither.A．didn’tknow;amgoingtoB．hadn’tknown;wouldC．haven’tknown;willD．didn’tknow;will14．Afterlookingatmanynewcars,Ifound________whichIwouldacceptjustassuitable.A．it B．this C．that D．one15．---Youlookhappytoday.Isthereanythinggood?---I’mverydelighted______asoneoftheexchangestudents.A．tochoose B．tohavebeenchosenC．choosing D．havingbeenchosen16．—Peopleshouldstopusingtheircarsandstartusingpublictransport.—________.Theroadsaretoocrowdedasitis.A．Allright B．ExactlyC．Goahead D．Fine17．Howcome?Ican’tfindmykey.Ijustleftit________ithadbeen.A．where B．whichC．when D．how18．Whydoyouwantanewjob______you’vegotsuchagoodonealready?A．that B．whereC．which D．when19．______farinthecontest,wearesodisappointed.A．Notgetting B．NottogetC．Nothavinggot D．Notgot20．Thepresidentstoodbyawindowinsidetheroom,________Ientered,lookingoverthesquare.A．where B．intowhichC．which D．that第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21．（6分）You’llprobablynevergotoMarsorsingonthestagewiththeRollingStones.Butifvirtualreality(VR)everlivesuptoitspromise,youmightbeabletodoallthesethings—andmanymore—withoutevenleavingyourhome.Unlikerealreality,virtualrealitymeanssimulating(模仿)bitsofourworld.Apartfromgamesandentertainment,it’slongbeenusedfortrainingairlinepilotsandsurgeonsandforhelpingscientiststofigureoutcomplexproblemssuchasthestructureofproteinmolecules(分子).Thenhowdoesitwork?Closeyoureyesandthinkofvirtualrealityandyouprobablypicturesomethinglikethis:amanwearingawrap-aroundheadsetanddatagloveswiredintoapowerfulworkstationorsupercomputer.WhatdistinguishesVRfromanordinarycomputerexperienceisthenatureoftheinputandoutput.Whereanordinarycomputerusesthingslikeakeyboard,mouse,orspeechrecognitionforinput,VRusessensorsthatdetecthowyourbodyismoving.AndwhereaPCdisplaysoutputonascreen,VRusestwoscreens(oneforeacheye),surround-soundspeakers,andmaybesomeformsoftouchandbodyfeedbackaswell.VRhasbeenroutinelyusedbyscientists,doctors,dentists,engineers,architects,archaeologists,andthemilitaryforaboutthelast30years.Difficultanddangerousjobsarehardtotrainfor.Howcanyousafelypracticetakingatriptospace,makingaparachutejump,orcarryingoutbrainsurgery?Allthesethingsareobviouscandidatesforvirtualrealityapplications.Likeanytechnology,virtualrealityhasbothgoodandbadpoints.Criticsalwaysraisetheriskthatpeoplemaybeaddictedtoalternativerealitiestothepointofignoringtheirreal-worldlives—butthatcriticismhasbeenleveledateverythingfromradioandTVtocomputergamesandtheInternet.Likemanytechnologies,VRtakeslittleornothingawayfromtherealworld:youdon’thavetouseitifyoudon’twantto.1、Whatequipmentdoweprobablyneedforvirtualreality?A．Akeyboard,aheadsetandasupercomputer.B．Aheadset,dataglovesandaspeechrecognition.C．Aheadset,dataglovesandasupercomputer.D．Akeyboard,amouseandaspeechrecognition.2、Paragraph3ismainlyabout.A．theprinciplesofvirtualrealityB．theapplicationsofvirtualrealityC．thehistoryofvirtualrealityD．theinfluencesofvirtualreality3、Accordingtothepassage,virtualrealitymeans.A．imaginingbeautifulthingsinourmindB．creatingsomethingthatdoesn’texistC．experiencingthingsthatdon’treallyexistD．cloningsomethingthathasdiedout4、Whatisthewriter’sattitudetowardsVR?A．Appreciative.B．Cautious.C．Skeptical.D．Indifferent.22．（8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(瑣事)whichswamp(淹沒(méi))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.23．（8分）Theworld’sfirst“SkyPool”hasbeenuncoated（曝光）-andit’llgiveanyoneatouchofdizziness（眩暈）,unlessheorsheisnotbotheredbyheights.Situatedinthecapital’snewriversidedistrictbesideBatterseaPowerStation,theglasspool,hanging10storeys,or110feetupasabridgebetweentwoapartmentbuildings,is25mlong,5mwideand3mdeepwithawaterdepthof1.2m.Swimmerswillbeabletolookdown35meterstothestreetbelowastheytakeadip,withonly20cmofglassbetweenthemandtheoutsideworld.It’sevengotabar,foldingchairsandanorangegarden.ThepoolwillbepartofEmbassyGardensatNineElms,ahuge￡15billionbuildingprojectbesidethenewAmericanEmbassyinsouth-westLondon.Theprojectiscreatingthousandsofapartments,thesmallestofwhichareexpectedtocostnearly$1million,andthepoolwillonlybeopentotheapartments’owners.EmbassyGardenstakesdesigninspirationfromtheMeatpackingDistrictofNewYorkwithfloortoceilingwindowsandbrickfrontages.Thedesigner,SeanMulryan,desiredtopushtheboundariesinthecapabilityofconstructionandengineeringanddosomethingthathadneverbeendonebefore.TheSkyPool’stransparentstructureistheresultofsignificantadvancementsintechnologiesoverthelastdecade.TheexperienceofthepoolwillbetrulyuniqueanditwillfeellikefloatingthroughtheairincentralLondon.ThosepeopleluckyenoughtoswimtherewillhaveaperfectviewofthePalaceofWestminsterandtheLondonEye.Itwillbeasellingpointfordeveloperswhenthesecondstageofthedevelopmentisreleasedtomarket.1、WhocanswimintheSkyPool?A．AnyoneatNineElms.B．VisitorstoLondon.C．PeoplelivinginEmbassyGardens.D．Thosewhoarenotterrifiedofheights.2、PeopleluckyenoughtoswimintheSkyPoolcandothefollowingexcept.A．drinkingwithfriendsB．experiencingdivingandsurfingC．a(chǎn)ppreciatingtheLondonEyeD．sittingintheorangegarden3、Whatdoweknowfromthetext?A．ThepoolliesinthecentreofLondon.B．Thepoolis25metresabovetheground.C．ThepoolwassimilartoNewYork’smodernconstructions.D．ThepoolishelpfulforsellingapartmentsinEmbassyGardens.4、Wecaninferfromthetextthat________.A．theapartmentsinEmbassyGardensarefairlyexpensiveB．thenewAmericanEmbassyhasbeenmovedawayC．NineElmsisastreetinEmbassyGardensD．buildingthepoolisnotacomplexjob24．（8分）“AreyougoingtoSeattle?”ananxious—lookingwomanaskedafemaletravelerattheAmtrakStationinSacramento.“No,I’mgoingtoEugene,”thetravelerreplied.“Oh,Iwashopingyoucouldwatchoutformydaughter,she’sneverbeenonatrainbefore.”SinceIamaseasonedtraintraveler,Iknowthatseatsandcarsareassignedbydestination.SoIapproachedthewomanandherfrightened—lookingdaughterandtoldthemthatherdaughtercouldsitwithmeandthatIwouldtakecareofherforthedurationofthejourney.Thetrainhadarrived25minuteslate,andpeoplerushedtogettheirseatassignments.Theconductorwantedtoknowiftherewerepeopletravelingtogether,soIpushedmywaytothefrontofthelinewiththegirlandwewerearrangedtositnexttoeachother.Onceonboard,Ishowedherwheretoputherluggage,andtookhertothebathroomarea.Wesettleddowntosleep.Inthemorning,shebecamecomfortableenoughtodowhatmost15—yearoldsdo;talkandtextonhermobilephone.Throughoutthetrip,ImadesureshepickedupherID,whichhadfallenoutofherbackpack,andgenerallykeptaneyeonherinanon—intrusiveway.Ihopesomeonetakesherundertheirwingwhensheflies(anotheranxiety—producingfirst)backtoSacramento.Idohopethatkindnesswillspreadaroundtheworldthroughtheseways.We’reconditionedtothinkthatourlivesrevolved（旋轉(zhuǎn)）aroundgreatmoments.Butgreatmomentsoftencatchusunaware,beautifullywrappedinwhatothersmayconsiderasmallone.1、Wherewastheauthorgoingbytrain?A．SeattleB．Eugene.C．Sacramento.D．Amtrak.2、Whydidtheauthorpushtothefrontoftheline?A．Togethisseatassignment.B．Togetaseatinthefront.C．Tohelpthegirlfindherseat.D．Toaskforthetwoseatsnexttoeachother.3、Whatcanbelearntfromthetext?A．Thegirlhasnevertravelledbyairbefore.B．ThegirlhasneverbeentoSeattlebefore.C．Themotheranddaughterhavenevertakenthetrainbefore.D．Thegirlwastoonervoustodonothingalonethroughoutthetrip.4、Whatdoestheauthor’sstoryintendtotellus?A．Experienceisthebestteacher.B．Youneverknowtillyouhavetried.C．Happinessliesingivinghelptoothers.D．Dosomethinggoodeventhoughitmaybetiny.25．（10分）Somepeoplethinkthatsuccessisonlyforthosewithtalentorthosewhogrowupintherightfamily,andothersbelievethatsuccessmostlycomesdowntoluck.I’mnotgoingtosayluck,talent,andcircumstancesdon’tcomeintoplaybecausetheydo.Somepeoplearebornintotherightfamilywhileothersarebornwithgreatintelligence,andthat’sjusttherealityofhowlifeis.However,tosucceedinlife,onefirstneedstosetagoalandthengraduallymakeitmorepractical.And,inadditiontothat,inordertogetreallygoodatsomething,oneneedstospendatleast10,000hoursstudyingandpracticing.Tobecomegreatatcertainthings,it’llrequireevenmoretime,timethatmostpeoplewon’tputin.Thisisabigreasonwhymanysuccessfulpeopleadviseyoutodosomethingyoulove.Ifyoudon’tenjoywhatyoudo,itisgoingtofeellikeunbearablepainandwilllikelymakeyougiveupwellbeforeyoueverbecomegoodatit.Whenyouseepeopleexhibitingsomegreatskillsorhavingachievedgreatsuccess,youknowthattheyhaveputinahugepartoftheirlifetogetthereatahugecost.It’ssometimeseasytothinktheygotluckyortheywerebornwithsomeraretalent,butthinkingthatwaydoesyounogood,andthere’sahugechancethatyou’rewronganyway.Whateveryoudo,ifyouwanttobecomegreatatit,youneedtoworkdayinanddayout,almosttothepointofaddiction,andoveralongperiodoftime.Ifyou’renotwillingtoputinthetimeandwork,don’texpecttoreceiveanyprize.Consistent,hardworkwon’tguaranteeyouthelevelofsuccessyoumaywant,butitwillguaranteethatyouwillbecomereallygoodatwhateveritisyouputallthatworkinto.1、Paragraph1mainlytalksabout________.A．thereasonsforsuccess B．thestandardsofsuccessC．theimportanceofsuccess D．whatpeoplethinksuccessis2、Successfulpeoplesuggestdoingwhatonelovesbecause________.A．workmakesonefeelpain B．onetendstoenjoyhisworkC．ittakesalotoftimetosucceed D．onegivesuphisworkeasily3、WhatcanweinferfromParagraph4?A．Successfulpeopleliketoshowtheirgreatskills.B．Peopleneedtoachievesuccessatthecostoflife.C．Peoplesometimessucceedwithoutluckortalent.D．Ithelpstothinkthatluckortalentleadstosuccess.4、Whatisthemainthemeofthepassage?A．Luck,talentandfamilyhelptoachievesuccess.B．Onecannotsucceedwithouttimeandpractice.C．Havingagoalisveryimportanttosuccess.D．Beinggoodisdifferentfrombeinggreat.第三部分語(yǔ)言知識(shí)運(yùn)用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)．26．（30分）Inwinter,Ioftenwalkinanearbyparkduringlunchtime.Theparkis1,asfewpeoplehavethetimetoenjoythewintersunonaweekday.Thetwopeoplethatareoftenseenareamiddle-agedfatherandhislittledaughter2herschooluniform.Thefatherlookslikehehasallthetimeintheworld—he3tohurryalongthejoggingpath;insteadhematcheshispacewith4ofthelittlegirl.Sometimestheyarelying5inthesun,laughingandchatting.Themancertainlydoesn’tlook6.WhatsortofjobcanhehavethatgiveshimtheflexibilitytowalkintheparkinthemiddleofthedayAndtoday,we7satontherocksandhadalittlechat.“Youmustenjoytheparkverymuchtocomeheresooften,”Isaid.Thefathernodded.“How”Iaskedcuriously,“doyou8toleaveyourofficetobewithyourdaughtereveryday”

The9thatthefather,SatyendraDugbey,toldmeshowedmehow,ifwe10underthesurface,evenordinarypeople’slifecanbequite11.“Iusedtobenodifferentfromanyofthosethousandsofofficeworkers12toworkeveryday,”hebegan.Hiswifeandhewerewell13butrarelymanagedtimeoffforleisure.Everythingchangedaftera(n)14inwhichDugbeywashitbyacar.Ashelayinhospital,terrifyingthoughtscameintohismind.“Howwouldmydaughter,thenonlyfour,remembermeifIdiedthatday”“Wouldmydaughterhave15ofbeingwithherfather”Themomentherecoveredandwentbacktowork,Dugbeytooktimeoffatlunch,16herdaughterfromschoolwhichwasjustnextdoortohisworkingplace,andtookhertothepark.Itwasactuallyaverysmallchangehe’dmade,hesaid,butit17himeverydaytoseethedifferenceit18tohislife.“Itbringsmesomuch19thatIcan’tbelievewhyothershaven’tthoughtofdoingthesamething.”hesaidsimply.Igotuptocontinuemy20walk,unexpectedlyhappyafterhisstory.1、A．noisyB．a(chǎn)ppealingC．quietD．still2、A．onB．inC．withD．under3、A．tendsB．intendsC．inspiresD．refuses4、A．itB．thatC．thisD．those5、A．heavilyB．tiredlyC．lazilyD．lonely6、A．unemployedB．untrainedC．untestedD．unwanted7、A．trulyB．generallyC．entirelyD．finally8、A．succeedB．failC．manageD．suggest9、A．newsB．storyC．dataD．phenomenon10、A．digB．pushC．cleanD．knock11、A．extraordinaryB．commonC．peacefulD．reliable12、A．hurryingB．wanderingC．hesitatingD．hating13、A．downB．overC．a(chǎn)boveD．off14、A．a(chǎn)ffairB．a(chǎn)ccidentC．situationD．sight15、A．a(chǎn)ssociationB．considerationC．misunderstandingD．memories16、A．pickedupB．pickedoutC．tookupD．tookout17、A．botheredB．puzzledC．frightenD．a(chǎn)mazed18、A．tookB．ledC．madeD．got19、A．loveB．joyC．reliefD．depression20、A．long-sufferingB．long-lostC．long-forgottenD．long-lasting第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Thegiantpanda,1．willbethemascotforthe2022BeijingWinterOlympicisoftenregardedasasymbolofChina.Itshelmetisalsoindicativeofthesnowandiceofwintersports.Thename“BingDwenDwen”isacombinationofseveralmeaningsintheChineselanguage,with“Bing”theChinesewordfor“ice”and“DwenDwen”meaningrobustandlively.TheParalympicmascotchoiceofthelantern2．(see)as“symbolicofharvest,warmthandlight”.Inthename“ShueyRhonRhon”,“Shuey”istheChinesewordfor“snow”and“RhonRhon”hasthemeaningof3．(tolerate)andintegration.ItisamessageofthefuturetothefuturegenerationofChinesepeoplewhowill4．(inspire)bytheamazingfaithoftheParalympicathletes.Themascots,5．(reveal)onSeptember17atBeijing’sShougangIceHockeyArena,arestronglyassociated6．thehostnation’sculture.“ThetwomascotscombineelementsoftraditionalChinesecultureandamoderninternationalstyle,aswellas7．(emphasize)thecharacteristicsoficeandsnowsports,and8．ofthehostcity,”saidBeijing2022executivepresidentChenJining.“They9．(vivid)showtheChinesepeople’seagerexpectationsfortheBeijingWinterOlympicandParalympicGames,andChina’swarminvitationtofriendsfromallovertheworld.”,saidChen,whoisalsothemayorofBeijing.InternationalOlympicCommitteePresidentThomasBachexpressedhisdelightatthedesign.“FromwhatIhaveseen,Icansayitisagreatchoice.Itwillbe10．wonderfulambassadorforChinaandtheOlympicGamesBeijing2022,”headded.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿分10分）28．（10分）LiYueandZhangHuawentto︿nursinghomeanddidsomevoluntaryworkonMayDay、Attheirarrival,theywerewarmwelcomed、Theypresentedtheelderlypeoplewithflowersandfruits、Then,theystartedworkingatonce,cleaningthewindowsandsweptthefloor、Everythingdone,theysitintheyardchattingwiththeelderly、Whenitwastimeforthevolunteertoleave,theelderlythankedthemfortheirkindness、LiYueandZhangHuawereveryhappybecauseofwhattheydidbringjoytoothers、Italsoenrichedourownexperience、Theymadeapromisewhichtheywouldcomeagaintoseetheelderlywhenevertheywerefree、第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假定你是學(xué)生會(huì)主席。近來(lái)，隨著網(wǎng)絡(luò)的普及，學(xué)生的漢字書寫能力降低。為了保護(hù)中華傳統(tǒng)文化——漢字，校學(xué)生會(huì)提出倡議。請(qǐng)你根據(jù)提示，寫一份倡議書。內(nèi)容包括：1.少上網(wǎng)，多讀書、勤記筆記；2.養(yǎng)成練書法和寫日記的習(xí)慣。要求：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。參考詞匯：漢字Chinesecharacters________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、D2、A3、C4、C5、B6、B7、D8、C9、D10、B11、C12、C13、D14、D15、B16、B17、A18、D19、C20、C第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21、1、C2、B3、C4、A22、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,wiredInternetandcabl