重庆市十一中、七中等七校新高考冲刺英语模拟试题及答案解析

重庆市十一中、七中等七校新高考冲刺英语模拟试题注意事项1．考生要认真填写考场号和座位序号。2．试题所有答案必须填涂或书写在答题卡上，在试卷上作答无效。第一部分必须用2B铅笔作答；第二部分必须用黑色字迹的签字笔作答。3．考试结束后，考生须将试卷和答题卡放在桌面上，待监考员收回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．Ithoughtithardtocompletetheprojectthen,butI________mymind.A．willchangeB．wouldchangedC．havechangedD．hadchanged2．Peterson,agreatarchaeologist,said:“Archaeologistshavebeenextremelypatientbecausewewereledtobelievethattheministrywas________thisproblem,butwefeelthatwecan'twaitanylonger.”A．lookingout B．bringingout C．carryingout D．sortingout3．—I’mterriblysorry.I’mlatebecause….—That’sOK.Youarehereandthat’swhat_____.A．does B．works C．functions D．counts4．—Doyoureallyplantodropoutofthefootballteam?—________It’stimeformetoconcentrateonmystudy.A．I’mjustkidding. B．Definitelynot.C．Imeanit D．Whatapity!5．Thefinancialdamageisnothingcomparedtowhat_______iftherehadbeenchildrenintheclassroomintimeofthefire.A．wouldhappen B．happenedC．wouldhavehappened D．shouldhavehappened6．—Ikeeponmeetingwithdifficultiesintheexperiment.Icanhardlygoon.—Wheretherearedifficulties,therearewaystogetoverthem.________A．Suityourself. B．GoodforyouC．Pullyourselftogether! D．What’sthedeal?7．—Iamwondering________makesyoustudysohard?—Togotomydreamuniversity.A．whatisitthat B．thatiswhatC．whatisthat D．whatitisthat8．It’sreallystupidofyou____himthenewsyesterdaysothatithasbeendisturbinghimallthetime．A．havingtold B．telling C．totell D．tohavetold9．Ifanentirecountrygetsricheratthesametime,individualswouldn't________feelwealthier,sincetheirrelativepositionsinsocietyhaven'tchanged.A．necessarily B．initially C．typically D．sustainably10．－IhearIronManIIIisonrecently.Let’ssetoffforthecinematoappreciateitnow.－________It’sabout10PM.I’msotiredthatImustgotobed.A．Let’sfindsomeoftheaction.B．Howdoyoufindit?C．It’sentirelyuptoyou.D．Youcan’tbeserious.11．________sheisnotsohealthy_______sheusedtobe?A．Whyisitthat;whatB．Whyitisthat;thatC．Whyisitthat;asD．Whyitisthat;who12．Pleasecallmysecretarytoarrangeameetingthisafternoon，or____________itisconvenienttoyou.A．wherever B．howeverC．whichever D．whenever13．Scientistshavemanytheoriesabouthowtheuniverseintobeing.A．came B．wascoming C．hadcome D．wouldcome14．—Iwillfixyourprinterrightnow.—Oh,________.I’minnohurry.A．takeyourtimeB．that’sagreatideaC．youarewelcomeD．I’dliketo15．________yourblog,Iwouldhavewrittenbacktwodaysago.A．IfIread B．ShouldIreadC．HadIread D．IfIcouldhaveread16．Whentheorganization______inMarch,2019,therewasalmostnomoneyinthebankandmorethan$1millionofdebt.A．folded B．boomed C．registered D．sprang17．Mysister______thebabywhileI’matyoga.A．arrangesB．mindsC．assesses18．—________!Somebodyhasbrokenthevase!—Don’tlookatme.A．Comeon B．Hi,thereC．Thankgoodness D．Dearme19．Patrickwaited________alltheluggagewascleared,buthisneverappeared.A．until B．beforeC．when D．while20．______inpainting,Johndidn’tnoticeeveningapproaching.A．Toabsorb B．TobeabsorbedC．Absorbed D．Absorbing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）Thediscussiononrenewableenergyhasbeengoingonforatleastadecadeandpeoplehavereliedonfossilfuelsalmostentirelyformorethanacentury.However,thesituationwhenfossilfuelswerethemostefficientandthecheapestsourceofenergyhasbeenleftfarinthepast.ManycountriessuchasGermanyandSwedenhavealreadymadesignificanteffortstofixthissituation,employingnumerouspowerplantsworkingontherenewableresourcesofenergy.Themosteffectiveamongtheseresourcesisgeothermal（地热的）energy.Geothermalenergydoesnotdependontheworld’seconomicandpoliticalsituationasstronglyasfossilfuelsdo.Besides,extracting（提炼）fossilfuelsaddstothepriceofenergyproducedfromthem.Therefore,geothermalenergyismuchcheaperthantraditionalones,savingupto80%ofthecostsoverfossilfuels.Beingarenewableresource,geothermalenergyproduceslesswasteandpollutionthantraditionalenergysources.Ingeothermalsystems,carbondioxidemakesupabout10%ofairproduced.Overall,inordertoproducetheelectricitythatcanbeusedforonehour,thegeothermalsystemsproduce0.1poundofcarbondioxideandotherharmfulgases.Foracomparison,apowerplantproducingfromgasproducesupto2poundsofcarbondioxideintotheatmosphere,andthosepowerplantsthatworkoncoal（煤）produceanastonishing3.6poundsofgreenhousegases.Lowcostsisanotherreasonwhyusinggeothermalpowerplantsshouldbethefirstchoiceformanycountries.Geothermalheatsystemsrequire25%to50%lessenergyforworkcomparedwiththetraditionalsystemsforheatingorcooling.Besides,geothermalequipmentislessbig:duetotheverynatureofgeothermalenergy,geothermalpowerplantshaveonlyafewmovingparts,allofwhichcanbeeasilyshelteredinsidearelativelysmallbuilding.What’smore,thelifespanofgeothermalequipmentisratherlong.Allthesemakegeothermalpowerstationseasytobuildandkeep.1、Fossilfuelsaremoreexpensivethangeothermalenergypartlybecause_______.A．itisfreetousegeothermalenergyB．theproductionoffossilfuelscostsalotC．fossilfuelsarenearlyusedupD．geothermalenergydoesn’tdependonpoliticalsituation2、AccordingtoParagraph3,whatcanbeconcludedfromthecomparison?A．Geothermalenergyisenvironmentallyfriendly.B．Gasandcoalareoftenusedtoproduceelectricity.C．Coalismuchmoreefficientthangas.D．Thegeothermalsystemsdon’tproduceharmfulgases.3、Geothermalequipmentisusuallynotasbigasthatoftraditionalenergybecauseof______.A．thelifespanofgeothermalequipmentB．geothermalpowerplantsC．thenatureofgeothermalenergyD．thesmallbuildings4、Whatisthemainideaofthispassage?A．Manycountrieshavebenefitedfromgeothermalenergy.B．Geothermalenergyiswellaccepted.C．Fossilfuelsarebeingrunoutof.D．Geothermalenergyhasmanyadvantages.22．（8分）Havingalearningdisabilitydoesn’tmeanyoucan’tlearn,butyou’llneedsomehelpandneedtoworkextrahard.Ifyouhavealearningdisabilitysuchasdyslexiaordyscalculia,rememberthatyouarenotsloworstupid.Learningdisabilitiescanbegenetic.Thatmeanstheycanbepasseddowninfamiliesthroughthegenes,Butkidstodayhaveanadvantageovertheirparents.Learningexpertsnowknowalotmoreaboutthebrainandhowlearningworks,andit’seasierforkidstogetthehelptheyneed.Dyslexiaisalearningdisabilityhatmeansakidhasalotoftroublereadingandwriting.Kidswhohavetroublewithmathmayhavedyscalculia.Otherkidsmayhavelanguagedisorders,meaningtheyhavetroubleunderstandinglanguageandunderstandingwhattheyread.Itcanbeconfusing,though.Whatqualifiesas“trouble"enoughtobediagnosedasalearningdisability?Reading,doingmath,andwritinglettersmaybetoughforlotsofkidsatfirst.Butwhenthosetroublesdon’tfadeawayandit’sreallydifficulttomakeanyprogress,it’spossiblethatthekidhasalearningdisability.Findingoutyouhavealearningdisabilitycanbeupsetting.Youmightfeeldifferentfromeveryoneelse.Butthetruthisthatlearningdisabilitiesareprettycommon.Andifyourlearningspecialistorpsychologisthasfiguredoutwhichoneyou’refacing,you’reontherighttrack.Now,youcanstartgettingthehelpyouneedtodobetterinschool.Butforthisspecialhelptoreallywork,you’llneedtopracticethenewskillsyou’releaning.Itmaytakealotofeffortseveryday,Thatcanbeachallenge,butyoucandoitSoon,you’llenjoytheresultsofallyourhardwork:morefunandsuccessatschool.1、Whatdoweknowaboutlearningdisability?A．Itisaphysicaldisease.B．Itcanbetreatedbydoctors.C．Ithappenstochildrenwhoarelazy.D．Itgetsyouintotroublewhenlearningasubject.2、Childrenarelikelytohavealearningdisability.A．iftheirparentshavethesameproblemB．iftheyarenotinterestedinasubjectC．iftheydon’tgethelpintimeD．iftheydon’tworkhard3、Howcanyouknowifyouhavealearningdisability?A．Yourteachersaysyouareaslowstudent.B．Youcan’tmakeprogressafterhardwork.C．Youhavetroublewithsomelessonsatfirst.D．Yourlearningstyleisdifferentfromothers.4、What’sthemainpurposeofthetext?A．Tofindoutthereasonsforthelearningdisability.B．Togetparentstoknowmoreabouttheirchildren.C．Tohelppeopleknowandhandlelearningdisability.D．Toaskteacherstohelpstudentswithlearningdisability.23．（8分）WhenApplecutitsexpectationbenefitforthelastquarterof2018becauseofslowsalesofiPhones,marketswereshocked.Thecompany’sshareprice,whichhadbeenslidingformonths,fellbyafurther10%onJanuary3rd,thedayafterthenewscameout.Apple’ssuppliers’shareswerealsohit.ButApple’spainishumans’gain.Thefactthatthesemagicaldevicesarenowsopopularissomethingtobecelebrated.Nearly4bnofthe5.5bnadultsontheplanetnowhaveonesmartphone.Theyconnectbillionsofpeopletotheinternet’shugeamountofinformationandservices.Phonesmakemarketsmoreefficientandinspiregrowth.Yes,theycanbeusedforwastingtimeandspreadingdisinformation.Butthegoodfaroutweighsthebad.Theymightbethemosteffectivetoolofdevelopmentinexistence.Actuallythisslowdownistheresultofmarketsaturation(饱和).Afteradecadeofrapidtaking-in,thereismuchlessopportunitytosellhandsetstofirst-timebuyersassofewofthemareleft.Andreplacementcyclesarebecominglongerasnewmodelsofferonlyinsignificantimprovements.Forallbutthecraziestfans,theslowingpaceofupgradescomesasawelcomerelief.Doesthatmeaninnovation(创新)isslowing?No.Thelatestphonescontainamazinglyclevertechnologysuchas3Dface-scannersandcamerasassistedbyartificialintelligence.Moreover,smartphonesalsoprovideafoundationforextrainnovations,likemobilepaymentsandvideostreaming,andforfutureones,suchascontrolling“smart”homeequipmentorrobotaxis.Ascomputersbecomesmaller,stillmorepersonalandclosertopeople’sbodies,manyscientistsbelievethatwearabledeviceswillbethenextbigthing.Evenso,findinganotherproductwiththerangeofthesmartphoneisatallorder.Therecentslowingofsmartphonesalesisbadnewsfortheindustry,obviously.Butfortherestofhumansitisawelcomesignthatatransformativetechnologyhasbecomealmostuniversal.1、Thewriterconsiderstheslowdownofsmartphonesalesgoodnewsbecause___________.A．itcanmakemarketmoreefficient B．itslowscrazyfans’paceofupgradesC．itmeanslessdisinformationwillspread D．itindicatesthepopularityofsmartphones2、Wecaninferfromthetextthat___________.A．wearabledeviceswilltaketheplaceofsmartphonesverysoonB．inthefuturepeoplemighttakeasmartphone-controlledrobotaxiC．Apple’ssuppliers’shareshitarecordhighafterthenewscameoutD．Apple’ssharepricesarelikelytogoonslidinginthenextdecade3、Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A．ABrandNewAgeforHumans B．Smartphone,aGoodTooloraBadTool?C．NewTechnologyinSmartphones D．BadNewsforApple,GoodNewsforHumans24．（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(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.25．（10分）Iwasinthemiddleofcodingawebpagewhenmywifeemailedmethesequestions:Everwonderwhatitwouldbeliketohavetheface,thebrains,thepersonalityandthebody?Whatitwouldbeliketohaveeveryonestopwhenyouwalkinaroom?Whatitwouldbeliketobeabletogetanythingoranyoneyouwant?Istoppedforamomentandthoughtaboutitbecausemywifewouldn'temailmethisunlesssomethinghaddrivenhertodoso.IemailedherbackwithwhatIthoughtwasaprettygoodanswer.HereiswhatIwroteherback.Yes,Ihadthoughtmanytimesaboutwhatitwouldbeliketobeoneofthebeautifulpeople.TobeabletotakeyourbreathawaywhenIwalkedintoaroom,ortobethelifeofthepartyandhaveeveryonefawning(奉承)overmeasIworeonlythefinestclothesandsportedtheperfectbody?ButthenIalwayscamebacktotherealizationthatalifestylelikethatissofragile.Asyougetolder,yourbodychanges;asyougetolder,themoneychanges.Yourbodyneverlooksthesame;theclothesbecomemoreandmoreexpensivetomaintain.Andonceyouhavecrossedtheline,suddenlyyouareout.Thenextfreshfacecomesinandyouarequicklyforgotten.AllthroughgrowingupIwasneveranattractiveperson.Iwasoverweightandpickedon.Butthatdidn'tstopmefrombeinganiceperson—agood,clean,funnyandhelpfulperson.Iwasthepersonwhoyoucametowhenyouneededafriendafterabreakup.Iwastheoneyoucametowhenyouneededajoketobrightenupyourday.Andinthelongrun,Iwillbetheoneyouremember,notthenewface,orthefreshstyle.Inclosing,Iwouldliketosaythatwe,aspeople,havedevelopedintolookingforthingsthatarebiggerandbetterinsteadofwhatwilllast.Idon'tknowaboutyou,butIwillrememberthefriendwhohelpedmewhenIwasdown,morethanthehotgirlIjustsawwalkingdownthestreet.IwishIcouldteachtheworldsomemorejokes.1、Howdidtheauthorreacttohiswife'squestions?A．Hetookthemseriously.B．Hewentoncodingthepage.C．Herepliedtothemrightaway.D．Hewonderedwhyshehaddoneso.2、Whatcanwelearnabouttheauthor?A．Hecaresmuchaboutappearance.B．Hehasacleverandbeautifulwife.C．Heisalwaysreadytohelpothers.D．Hedoesn'tlikebeautifulwomen.3、Accordingtothetext,theauthorwouldagreethatoneshould________．A．tryanewandfreshlifestyleB．telljokestoliveameaningfullifeC．wearfancyclothestoattractpeopleD．bethepersonwhobringsjoytoothers4、Whichofthefollowingcanbethebesttitleforthetext?A．WhatIsWisdom?B．WhatWillLast?C．ThreeQuestionsD．ThreeAnswers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）In1956Phoenix,Arizona,wasacitywithboundlessblue1.OnedayasIwalkedaroundthehousewithmysisterKathy’snewparakeet（小鹦鹉）onmyfinger,IwantedtoshowPerkywhattheskylookedlike.Itookhimintothebackyard,andthen,tomyhorror,Perkyflewoff.Theenormous,blueskyswallowedupmysister’sblue2andsuddenlyhehadgone,clippedwingsandall.ItoldKathyaboutPerky'sdisappearanceandIwasanxiousthatshewouldblameme.But,unexpectedly,Kathymanagedto3me.Withfakeoptimism,sheeventriedtoconvincemethatPerkywouldfindanew4.ButIwasfartoocleverto5thatsuchathingwaspossible.Decadeslater,Iwatchedmyown6growing.Wesharedtheiractivities,spendingsoccerSaturdaysinfoldingchairswiththe7ofthekids’friends,theKissells.ThetwofamilieswentcampingaroundArizonatogether.Webecamethebestoffriends.Oneevening,thegamewastotellGreatPetstories.Onepersonclaimed（宣称）to8theoldestlivinggoldfish.Someoneelsehadapsychicdog.ThenBarry,thefatheroftheotherfamily,tookthefloorand___9___thattheGreatestPetofAllTimewashisblueparakeet,SweetiePie."ThebestthingaboutSweetiePie,"hesaid,"wasthe10wegothim.Oneday,whenIwasabouteight,outoftheclear,bluesky,alittleblueparakeetjust11downandlandedonmyfinger."WhenIwasfinallyableto12,weexaminedtheamazingevidence.Thedatesandthelocationsandthepicturesofthebirdall13.Itseemsourtwofamilieshadbeen14longbeforeweevermet.Fortyyearslater,Irantomysisterandsaid,"Youwere15!Perkylived!"1、A．lake B．sky C．parakeet D．backyard2、A．pleasure B．sadness C．treasure D．sense3、A．forgive B．comfort C．help D．delight4、A．parent B．home C．nest D．fellow5、A．imagine B．suppose C．doubt D．believe6、A．birds B．happinessC．worries D．children7、A．parentsB．birds C．interests D．games8、A．catch B．find C．buy D．have9、A．announced B．said C．retoldD．hoped10、A．day B．place C．way D．story11、A．floated B．dived C．settled D．went12、A．think B．speak C．interrupt D．explain13、A．cameup B．turnedup C．turnedout D．matchedup14、A．known B．fastened C．connected D．introduced15、A．right B．wrong C．silly D．mad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）Chinaisabigoldcountryandithasahistoryofmorethanfivethousandyears.Weareproudof1．(it)cultureandpartofthecultureeveninfluencestheworld2．(great),forexample,thethoughtofConfucius.AsChineseeconomydevelopsveryfastandplays3．importantroleintheworld,moreandmore4．(foreign)learnMandarin(普通话)inConfuciusinstitutions.TheChinesetraditionalculturecanbetestedbythetime.Itunitesthewholenationandnomatter5．kindofdisastercomes,wewillfighttogetherforthecountry’sfuture.Today,manyyoungpeoplelose6．(faithful)intraditionalcultureandtheyarecrazy7．thewesternculture.Theyfollowthewesternfashion,8．(think)wearetheoldstyle.Butsomeday,they9．(realize)theyarewrong10．(abandon)traditionalculture.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。I’mwritingtocongratulateyouofyourwinningfirstprizeintheEnglishshortnovelcompetitionrecently、ImustsaythatIamnotsurprisedwhenIheardfromthegoodnews、IknowthatyouhavepractisedwrittenEnglishnovelsinthepastyears、I’mdelightedtoseeeffortshavefinallybeenpaidoff、Bytheway,IamalsofondofwritingshorterpassagesinEnglish、WhatupsetsyoumostisthatIsometimescan’tfindsuitablewordorexpressionstomakemyselfunderstood、Wouldyoubekindenoughtogivemeafewadviceonimprovingthissituation?Congratulationsagain、Ihopetogetyourreplyasearlyaspossibly、第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）中美中学生交流项目安排一批美国中学生来你校一周，体验中国文化，在网上挑选适合住宿的家庭(hostfamily)。假如你是李华，愿意接受一位美国学生入住你家，请用英语给项目美方负责人写一封邮件。说明你的家庭和住宿条件，你本人的优势以及你帮助美国中学生体验中国文化的打算。要求：1.父母赞成；有单独房间；2.本人开朗，英语好；3.带他去旅游，教他做中国菜；注意：1.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；2.词数：100左右；开头和结尾已给出不计入总词数。DearSir,____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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、C2、D3、D4、C5、C6、C7、D8、D9、A10、D11、C12、D13、A14、A15、C16、A17、B18、D19、A20、C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、1、B2、A3、C4、D22、1、D2、A3、B4、C23、1、D2、B3、D24、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,butmicrowaveoven