2025届江苏扬州市邗江区公道中学英语高三第一学期期末考试模拟试题含解析

2025届江苏扬州市邗江区公道中学英语高三第一学期期末考试模拟试题考生须知：1．全卷分选择题和非选择题两部分，全部在答题纸上作答。选择题必须用2B铅笔填涂；非选择题的答案必须用黑色字迹的钢笔或答字笔写在“答题纸”相应位置上。2．请用黑色字迹的钢笔或答字笔在“答题纸”上先填写姓名和准考证号。3．保持卡面清洁，不要折叠，不要弄破、弄皱，在草稿纸、试题卷上答题无效。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．---Hewassatisfiedwiththeresult,wasn'the?---No.Itwassodifficultthathe__________havepassedit.A．shouldn't B．mustn'tC．couldn't D．wouldn't2．Ithinkitagreathonor_____tovisityourcountry.A．toinvite B．inviting C．havinginvited D．tobeinvited3．—Whatabouttheprotectionofthesenewmachines?—Let’skeepthesurface________dustbyputtingacoveroverthem.A．farfromB．apartfromC．freefromD．awayfrom4．Itreallymatters_______hetreatedthelatestfailure,fortheexaminationisaroundthecorner.A．if B．thatC．why D．how5．ThePartycouldhavestated______theirpolicywasonthismatter,butthevotersonlyreceivedaverydustyanswer.A．why B．when C．whether D．what6．Frommypointofview,there’slittlechancethatwewillbesuccessfulintryingtochangethepresentsituation.________,itisimportantthatwetryourbest.A．Meanwhile B．OtherwiseC．Therefore D．Nevertheless7．Theredsandgolds_____intoeachotherasthesunsank.Whatabeautifulsight!A．bumped B．pressedC．melted D．turned8．Thesuccessof“onecountry,twosystems”inpracticehasbeenuniversally________,andthispolicycontinuestogostrong.A．acknowledgedB．appreciatedC．accomplishedD．accompanied9．—Ibelieveitistheonlysolutiontothisproblem.—That’sdebatable,Ithink.Icanfiveothersolutionsasgoodasthat.A．comeupwith B．makeupwith C．liveupwith D．keepupwith10．Ifyousleeplessthansevenhours,youarethreetimesmoretocatchacold．A．possible B．certainly C．probable D．likely11．—WhendidTomcometoQingdao？—ItwasinJuly，2006andheatripinChinawithhisparentsatthattime.A．wouldtake B．hadtakenC．wastaking D．hadbeentaking12．Frankstudied_____EnglishlanguageinLondonforfouryears,sohegets____goodknowledgeofLondon.A．a;the B．/;/C．/;a D．the;a13．—Ifeltitverydifficulttocarryontheworkallbymyself.—Icouldhavehelpedyou,butyou_____meto.A．hadn’tasked B．didn’task C．haven’tasked D．don’task14．Ourdreamisto_______aWorldCupthatmakesyou,yourgrandchildrenandeveryoneinfootballreallyproud.A．stageB．chairC．foundD．watch15．Insteadofmakingchoicesfortheirchildren,liberalparentsusuallysay,“Gowhereyou________.”A．will B．shouldC．can D．must16．—Iwasintendedtototheconcertwithyouthisweekend,butIcan’tnow.—______.A．Bad B．That’srightC．Notatall D．You’rewelcome17．Wearetoholdthesportsmeetingnextweekend,________theairqualitybecomesbetter.A．which B．whenC．where D．while18．WithWeChatPaycomingintowidespreaduse,ourhouseholdbillsareconvenient____.A．paying B．paid C．topay D．tobepaid19．—Look!Maryiscrazilylookingforsomethingagain!—_____,shecan’tfindherkeys.A．Typically B．Occasionally C．Accordingly D．Particularly20．ThedifferenceinthicknessandweightfromtheearlierversionmakestheiPad2morecomfortable_______.A．held B．holding C．beheld D．tohold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）TheinfluenceofAmericaisincreasinginmycountry.SpanishpeopledrinkCocaCola,wearbluejeans,watchHollywoodmovies,listentoAmericanmusic,andeatfastfood,andtheydothesethingseveryday.IthinkthatAmericanmoviesareagoodwaytospreadAmericanculturebecausepeopleareofteninfluencedbywhattheyseeinthemovies.Mostoftheprogramsanddocumentaries(记录片)wewatchonTVarefromAmerica,andmostofthemovieswegotoseearemadeinHollywood.Inthelastfewyears,thegovernmenthastriedtoprotecttheSpanishmovies.Now,inourcinemas,atleasttwentypercentofthemovieswhichareshownmustbefromSpainorfromothercountriesinEurope.AmericancultureisapartofSpanishlifenow.It’scertainthatmanythingsfromAmericaareasmuchapartofpeople’slivesasSpanishthings.Forexample,CocaColaisasfamiliartoeverybodyasanytypicalSpanishproduct.I’veknownaboutCocaColaformywholelife.However,it’sdifferentwithWesternfastfood.Forexample,Idon’tthinkMcDonald’sisassuccessfulinSpainasitisinothercountries.Inmyopinion,oneofthereasonsmaybethelifestyleoftheSpanishpeople,TheSpanishpeoplenormallyeatathome.Ontheotherhand,maybeMcDonald’shamburgerswilleventuallyreplacethefamousSpanishtapas.It’struethatineverycityinSpainyoucanfindaMcDonald’s,anditismorepopularamongtheSpanishchildrenthanamongtheadults.Inanycase,it’sobviousthatAmericancultureisbecomingmoreandmoreapartofourliveseveryday.1、Fromthefirstparagraphwecanknowthat.A．theinfluenceofAmericaonSpaincanbefoundeverywhere.B．mostSpanishpeopledon’tliketolistentotheirownmusic,C．fastfoodspreadsfromSpaintotheUnitedStates.D．someSpanishactorsgotoAmericatoimprovetheiractingskills.2、WhatplaysanimportantpartinthespreadingofAmericancultureinSpain?A．Americannovels. B．Hollywoodmovies.C．McDonald. D．Americanmusic.3、WhydidthegovernmentsetsomerulesforthefilmsshowninSpain?A．ToprotectforeigncultureinSpain.B．ToearnmoremoneyfromSpanishfilms.C．Tolimitthenumberofforeignmovie.D．TouniteEuropeanCommunities.4、WhatdoyouthinkSpanishtapasmightbe?A．Thenameofadrink. B．Thenameofarestaurant.C．Aclothingbrand. D．Acertainkindoffood.22．（8分）EverylivingthingonEarthiseitheraplantorananimal,right?Wrong!Manyorganisms(有机体)inourworldareneither.Someofthemfloatthroughtheair,andsomeliehiddenintheground.Theydonotneedsunlighttosurvive,andiftheweatherbecomestoocold,theycanbecomeinactiveuntilconditionsimprove.Whatarethese?Theyarecalledfungi(菌类),andyouseethemalmosteveryday.Manykindsoffungiseemdisgusting,suchasthegreenblackthingsthatappearonthefoodwhicharelefttoolongintherefrigerator.Butotherkindsarenotsobad.Forexample,theyeast(酵母)thatisusedtomakebreadandmushroomsarebothfungi.Whatmakesfungidifferentfromplantsandanimals?Ananimalcanmovearoundbyitself.Fungigetaroundtoo,buttheydon’thavefeet,wings,ortails.Theyhavetowaitforwindorsomeotheroutsideforcetomovethem.Plantsaredifferentfromfungibecausetheyhavechlorophyll(叶绿素).Ithelpsthemmakefoodfromtheenergyinsunlight.Fungidonothavechlorophyll.Somefungiarebad,whileothersarenot.Somefungicausediseases,suchasathlete’sfoot,whichmakesfeetuncomfortable.Otherkindsoffungicanbeusedtomakemedicines,whichhavesavedmanylives.Fungicleanupmorethanwounds,though.Theyaretheworld’sfirstrecyclers.Withoutfungi,ourworldwouldbeamess.Sincefungicannotmaketheirownfoodasplantsdo,theymustgettheirfoodelsewhere.Manyfungigettheirfoodfromdeadplants.Theybreakthemdownandturnthemintosoil.Thefungigetameal,andtheworldgetsahousecleaning.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“disgusting”mostprobablymean?A．strong.B．unpleasant.C．active.D．small.2、Accordingtothepassage,.A．fungicanmoveeverywherebythemselvesB．fungiareunabletosurviveincoldconditionsC．somefungicanmakefoodfromtheenergyinsunlightD．somefungiareusefultohumansandtheenvironment3、Wherecanyoumostprobablyfindthispassage?A．Inasocialreport.B．Inabiologybook.C．Inageographymagazine.D．Inafarmingbook.23．（8分）AstudypublishedinBloodPressureMonitoringstatedthatsittingwithyourlegscrossedcanincreaseyourbloodpressure.Thereasonthishappensisbecausethebloodinyourlegshastoworkagainstgravitytobepumpedbacktoyourheart,crossingonelegovertheotherincreasesresistance,makingitevenharderforthebloodtocirculate.Thiscausesyourbodytoincreaseyourbloodpressuretopushthebloodbacktotheheart.Youwon’tfeelanyimmediateeffects,butifyousitforlongperiodsoftimeit’simportantthatyoutakenoteofhowlongyouhaveyourlegscrossedfor.Youshouldn’thaveyourlegscrossedformorethan15minutes,andit’simportantthatyougetupandwalkaroundatleastonceeveryhour.Crossingyourlegscanalsoleadtoneckandbackpain.Ideally,it’sbestforourbodiestositwithourfeetplantedflat,hipwidthapart,onthefloor,butit’snoteasytomaintainperfectposturealldayattheoffice.Whenyousitwithyourlegscrossedyourhipsareinatwistedposition,whichcancauseoneofyourpelvicbonestorotate.Sinceyourpelvicbonesupportsyourneckandspine,thiscancausepressureonyourlowerandmiddlebackandneck.Youalsomightnoticethatwhenyousitwithyourlegscrossedforlongperiodsoftimeyourfeetandlegsgettinglyorhavethefeelingofbeingasleep.Thisisbecausewhenonelegsitsontopoftheotheritcausespressureontheveinsandnervesinyourlegsandfeet.Itcancausenumbnessand/ortemporaryparalysisinthelegs,ankles,orfeet.Whilethefeelingofdiscomfortmayonlylastaminuteortwo,repeatedlycrossingyourlegsuntiltheyfeelnumbcancausepermanentnervedamage.1、Whatcanbelearnedfromthetext?A．Wewillfeelbloodpressureincreasedimmediatelyaftercrossinglegs.B．It’seasyforustokeepcorrectpostureallday.C．Thepelvicbonecancausepressureonyourlowerandmiddlebackandneck.D．Yourlegswillgetpainwithlegscrossedforlongperiodsoftime.2、Crossingyourlegsmaycausesomehealthproblemsexcept___________.A．Causingthepainofneckandback.B．Increasingthebloodpressure.C．Leadingtothepainoffeetandlegs.D．Resultinginthedisabilityofarms.3、Whatissuggestedaccordingtothetext?A．Donotoftencrossyourlegswhilesitting.B．Crossyourlegsformorethan15minuteseveryday.C．Getupandwalkaroundatleastonceeveryotherhour.D．Crossyourlegstoloweryourbloodpressure.24．（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）BlackFridayistheFridayfollowingThanksgivingDayintheUnitedStates.Ithasbeenregardedasthebeginningoftheholidayshoppingseason.Althoughit’snotanofficialholiday,millionsofemployersgivetheiremployeesthedayoff,andmanypeopleusethatdaytogetajump-startontheirholidayshopping.AsimilardayinCanadaandGreatBritainiscalled“BoxingDay”.BlackFridayhasbecomesomewhatofamarketingsensation(营销效应)inrecentyears.Since2005,ithasbeenthebusiestshoppingdayoftheyear.Tolureshoppers,retailers(零售商)routinelyopentheirdoorsasearlyas4a.m.andofferspecialsalesandpromotionstotheshoppersthatarriveearly.Someofthespecialdealsofferedbystoresareonlyavailableinlimitedquantities.Thatiswhysomeshoppersintentongettingthebestdealsoftencampoutinfrontofstoresovernightsothatthey’llbethefirstinlinewhenthedoorsopen.ButwhyBlackFriday?HistoriansbelievethenamestartedinPhiladelphiainthemid-1960s.Busdriversandpoliceused“BlackFriday”todescribetheheavytrafficthatwouldblockcitystreetsthedayafterThanksgivingasshoppersheadedtothestores.Businesses,however,didn’tlikethenegativetoneassociatedwiththe“BlackFriday”name.Intheearly1980s,amorepositiveexplanationofthenamebegantospread.Accordingtothisalternativeexplanation,BlackFridayisthedaywhenretailersfinallybegintoturnaprofitfortheyear.Inaccountingterms(会计行业),operatingatalossiscalledbeing“inthered”becauseaccountantstraditionallyusedredinktoshownegativeamounts.Positiveamountswereusuallyshowninblackink.Thus,being“intheblack”isagoodthingbecauseitmeansstoresareoperatingataprofit.Recently,forthosewhoaretoobusytoshoponBlackFridayorwhojustdon’twanttofightthecrowds,theMondayfollowingBlackFridayhasbecomeknownasCyberMonday(网络星期一)forthemanyonlinedeals.1、OnBlackFriday，theAmericans.A．don’thavetogotoworkasusualB．lookexactlyliketheCanadiansC．areusuallybusydoingshoppingD．stayathomeandrelaxthemselves2、Theunderlinedword“lure”(inParagraph2)probablymeans.A．protect B．attractC．persuade D．remind3、HowdotheretailersunderstandBlackFriday?A．ItistotallydifferentfromBoxingDay.B．Theyusuallylosesomemoneyontheday.C．Itneverkeepsthemverybusy.D．Itprobablybringsthemmoremoney.4、Theauthorwritesthispassageinorderto.A．statethedevelopmentofCyberMondayB．tellthedifferencebetweenredandblackC．introduceBlackFridaytothereadersD．explainthemeaningofBoxingDay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）AtabeautifulbeachalittleboyonhiskneespacksthesandintoabucketHeturnsthebucketupsidedownand1it.Tothe2ofthelittlearchitect,acastletoweriscreated.Heworksallafternoonpackingthewallsbuildingsentries(5E)withbottletopsandbridgeswithsticks.Andasandcastlewillbebuilt.Inabigcitywith3streetsandtraffic,amanworksinanoffice.Hepackspapersintopiles,holdsthephonebetweenhis4andshoulderand5thekeyboardwithhisfingers.Contractsgetsignedandtothejoyoftheman,a6ismade.Hispensionwillbesentriesandcapitalgainswillbe7.Anempirewillbebuilt.Thetwobuildersofthetwocastleshaveverymuch8.Theyboth9smallnessintogreatness.Theybothmakesomethingbeautifuloutof10.Andforboth.thetidewillriseandthe11willcome.Yetthatiswherethe12stop.Thelittleboyseestheendofhiscastlewhiletheman13it.Astheduskapproachesandwavesnear,thechild14tohisfeetandbeginstoclapasthewaveswashawayhis15.Thereisnosorrow.no16andnoregret.Hesmilesandgoeshome.Themaninhisofficeisnotvery17likethechild.Ashisempireisfading,heisterrified,tryingto18it."Itsmycastle!he19attheincomingtide.Goaheadandbuildyourdreams,butwithachild’sheart.Whenthesun20andthetidestake,justapplaud.Salutetheprocessoflifeandgohomewithasmile.1、A．kicksB．liftsC．breaksD．covers2、A．surpriseB．reliefC．amusementD．delight3、A．lonelyB．busyC．cleanD．empty4、A．handB．neckC．armD．ear5、A．fixesB．touchesC．hitsD．checks6、A．profitB．pointC．recordD．wish7、A．bridgesB．toolC．bucketsD．beaches8、A．inhandB．incommonC．inneedD．intotal9、A．increaseB．cutC．shapeD．put10、A．somethingB．anythingC．everythingD．nothing11、A．awardB．victorC．futureD．end12、A．similaritiesB．competitionsC．differencesD．changes13、A．followsB．acceptsC．ignoresD．enjoys14、A．jumpsB．strugglesC．sticksD．bend15、A．dreamB．giftC．masterpieceD．memory16、A．excitementB．hesitationC．fearD．desire17、A．wiseB．naughtyC．curiousD．active18、A．finishB．protectC．improveD．collect19、A．glancesB．staresC．yellsD．points20、A．setB．shinesC．risesD．burns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）Peoplearelikepotatoes.Afterpotatoeshavebeenharvestedtheyhaveto1．(spread)outandsortedinordertogetthemaximummarketdollar.Theyaredividedaccordingtosize—big,2．andsmall.Afterthepotatoeshavebeensortedandbagged,3．areloadedontotrucks.AllIdahopotatofarmersusethismethod—allbut4．.Onefarmerneverbotheredtosortthepotatoesatall.Yethemadethemostmoney.A5．(puzzle)neighborfinallyaskedhim,“6．isyoursecret？”Hesaid,“It'ssimple.Ijustloadupthewagonwith7．andtaketheroughestroadtotown.Duringtheeight－miletrip,thelittlepotatoesalwaysfalltothe8．.Themediumpotatoeslandinthemiddle,9．thebigpotatoesrisetothetop.”That'snotonlytrue10．potatoes.Itisalawoflife.Bigpotatoesrisetothetoponroughroads,andtoughpeoplerisetothetopinroughtimes.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。Lastweek,ourschoolorganizedanactivityaimingathelpingthechildreninpoorareasrealizetheirdreamforreading.Allofustakeanactivepart.Ourdonationscoveredthebooks,pens,schoolbagsandmanyotherschoolsupplies.Someofusevencontributedourpocketchangesforthechildrentobuywhatevertheyneed.Inadditiontothese,manyofusadvocatedthatwedidnothesitatetocontactthechildreninruralareasdirecttofindouttheirneeds.Theythoughtthatbythismeanscouldwequicklyhelpthemoutbutmakeourdreamscometrue.Ithinktheactivityisverymeaningful,whichwillhelpimproveourlearningconditions.Inturn,theywillbringhopeforabetterfuturetoacommunityofneed.第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假如你是校学生会主席李华，为了帮助你校的外国留学生更好地适应中国生活，学生会将为他们举办讲座，主题是如何减轻文化冲击（cultureshock）。请你根据以下提示，用英语写个口头通知。1.时间和地点；2.主讲：北大JohnSmith教授3.会后座谈。注意：1.词数不少于100；2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。Goodafternoon,everyone.MayIhaveyourattention,please?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thanksforyourlistening

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、C4、D5、D6、D7、C8、A9、A10、D11、C12、D13、B14、A15、A16、A17、B18、C19、A20、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、1、A2、B3、C4、D22、【推理关系】题干Whatdoestheunderlinedword“disgusting”mostprobablymean?☞文章内容notbad和disgusting是反义词☞B.选项unpleasant【名师点睛】猜测词义题之依据反义词和对比关系猜测词义依据反义词和对比关系猜测词义运用对比手法描述事物或现象是文章写作的一种常用的修辞手法。在这种修辞手段下，作者常借用一些信号词来提供相反信息，从而表明一个词与前面的另一个词互为反义。常用的信号词有：but/yet/however/nevertheless;while/butotherwise/orelse;unlike/instead/ratherthan;bycontrast/comparedto;onthecontrary/ontheotherhand等。1、D细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句“Theydonotneedsunlighttosurvive,iftheweatherbecomestoocold,theycanbecomeinactiveuntilconditionsimprove.”可知B是错误的。根据第三段可知这些菌类也移动但要靠风或其他的外力，自己不能，故A是错误的。根据第三段说菌类靠叶绿素来获得能量，故C是错误的。根据最后两段可知有些菌类不仅可用于制造药物，它还能给世界清洁，因此答案D符合题意，故选D。2、B推理判断题。本文主要讲述了地球上的真菌的种类，如何生存，对人类及环境的作用等知识。因此它属于生物学内容，有可能出现在生物书上，故选B。23、1、D2、D3、A24、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,electronicandra