2024屆天津市薊州區(qū)高三期初調(diào)研考試英語試題注意事項1．考試結(jié)束后，請將本試卷和答題卡一并交回．2．答題前，請務(wù)必將自己的姓名、準考證號用0．5毫米黑色墨水的簽字筆填寫在試卷及答題卡的規(guī)定位置．3．請認真核對監(jiān)考員在答題卡上所粘貼的條形碼上的姓名、準考證號與本人是否相符．4．作答選擇題，必須用2B鉛筆將答題卡上對應(yīng)選項的方框涂滿、涂黑；如需改動，請用橡皮擦干凈后，再選涂其他答案．作答非選擇題，必須用05毫米黑色墨水的簽字筆在答題卡上的指定位置作答，在其他位置作答一律無效．5．如需作圖，須用2B鉛筆繪、寫清楚，線條、符號等須加黑、加粗．第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Sofar,morethan1300hotelsinEurope,Africa,MiddleEastregionhavecommittedto_________intheevent,withmanymore________tojointheeffort.A．participating;expecting B．participate;toexpectC．participating;expected D．participate;tobeexpected2．I________________afluwhenIwasonaspringoutingwithmyclassmate.A．caughtup B．pickedupC．tookup D．broughtup3．IfyouwanttoseeMr.JohnsononFridaymorning,makesureheis______aheadoftime.A．a(chǎn)pproachable B．a(chǎn)ccessible C．a(chǎn)vailable D．convenient4．Duringthe2008financialcrisis，theFrenchpresidentNicolasSarkozyagreedtoprovidemillionsofemergencyfundaidtohelpunemployment．A．release B．resemble C．relieve D．recommend5．Theteacherspokesofastthatitwashardforthestudentsto______whathewassaying.A．takein B．takeoff C．takeon D．takeafter6．—Mum,littleRaybrokehistoysagain!—Itdoesn'tmatter.Yousee,accidents_____happen.A．shall B．should C．must D．will7．Theseniorteacheralwaysgoesswimminganddoespush-upstostay________.A．inplace B．inorderC．inshape D．infashion8．———Itwasagreendinner._______———Thanks.Butitreallyonlytookanhour.A．Youmustbetired. B．Ienjoyeditverymuch.C．Youmusthavespentalldaycooking. D．Ihaveneverhaditbefore.9．Itgivesusgreatdelight______Chinesesciencefictionsarebecomingincreasinglypopular.A．how B．whatC．that D．why10．Ireallydon’tknow_________shegetsbyonsuchamodestsalary.A．whatB．whyC．howD．that11．Helikedthelovelydogsomuchthathe________hisbookandplayedwithitimmediately.A．gaveoff B．setasideC．tookover D．turneddown12．—I’mafraidIcouldn’tgotoyourbirthdayparty.IhaveatestnextMonday.—Oh，！You’remybestfriendandyoumustbethere！A．goahead B．comeon C．youneedn’t D．itdoesn’tmatter13．Thedeal，nextweek，willallowCharneytomakeagreatfortuneinthestockmarket.A．completed B．beingcompletedC．tobecompleted D．havingbeencompleted14．IliketheseEnglishsongsandthey________manytimesontheradio.A．taught B．havetaughtC．a(chǎn)retaught D．havebeentaught15．Thedrumsofwararebeatingonceagain.AstensionsrisebetweenAmericaandIran,Chinaappealstobothsidesto________.A．standby B．comealongC．stepback D．sticktogether16．Thenewswasaterribleblowtoher,butshe______theshocksoon．A．gotout B．gotover C．gotoff D．gotthrough17．---I’msureAndrewwillwinthefirstprizeinthefinal.---Ithinkso.He_____foritmonths.A．ispreparing B．hasbeenpreparing C．waspreparing D．hadbeenpreparing18．Onthesurfaceofthewater________,whichspoiledthebeautifulsceneryofthepark.A．somedeadleavesdidfloat B．somedeadleavesfloatedC．floatedsomedeadleaves D．didsomedeadleavesfloat19．IhadhopedtotakeaholidaythisyearbutIwasn’tableto______.A．getaway B．dropin C．checkout D．holdon20．Tomisproudand________,neveradmittingheiswrongandalwayslookingforsomeoneelsetoblame.A．strict B．stubbornC．sympathetic D．sensitive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四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21．（6分）Likeanygoodmother,whenKarenfoundoutthatanotherbabywasontheway,shedidwhatshecouldtohelpher3-year-oldson,Michael,prepareforanewbaby.Dayafterday,nightafternight,Michaelsangtohismommy’stummy（肚子）.Finally,Michael’slittlesisterwasborn.Butshewasinaveryseriouscondition.Withsirens（警報器）howlinginthenight,theambulancerushedthebabytoSt.Mary’sHospital.Thedaysinchedby.Thelittlegirlbecameworse.Thepediatric（兒科的）specialiststoldtheparentstopreparefortheworst.Michaelkeptbeggingforsingingtohissister,butkidsarenotallowedinthepediatricdepartmentatSt.Mary’sHospital.KarenmadeuphermindtotakeMichaeltoseehissister.Shedressedhiminanoversizedsuitandmarchedhimintothehospital.Helookedlikeawalkinglaundrybasket,buttheheadnurserecognizedhimasachildandshouted,“Getthatkidoutofherenow!”Karenroseupstrong,andtheusuallymild-manneredladyglaredsteel-eyedintotheheadnurse’sface.“Heisnotleavinguntilhesingstohissister!”KarentowedMichaeltohissister’sbedside.Hegazedatthetinybabylosingthebattletolive.Andhebegantosing.Inthepure-heartedvoiceofa3-year-old,Michaelsang,“Youaremysunshine,myonlysunshine.Youmakemehappywhenskiesaregrey.”Instantlythebabygirlresponded.Herpulseratebecamecalmandsteady.Herstrainedbreathingbecamesmoother.“Keeponsinging,Michael,”encouragedKarenwithtearsinhereyes.“Theothernight,dear,asIlaysleeping,IdreamedIheldyouinmyarms.”Michael’slittlesisterrelaxedashealingrestseemedtosweepoverher.“Keeponsinging,Michael.”Tearsconqueredthefaceofthenurse.“Youaremysunshine,myonlysunshine.Pleasedon’ttakemysunshineaway...”Thenextday—theverynextday—thelittlegirlwaswellenoughtogohome!1、Whichofthefollowingcanbethebesttitleforthepassage?A．It’sHardtoRaiseaBaby B．MothersLoveC．TheMiracleofaBrother’sSong D．AnUnforgettableDay2、FromKaren’sactioninthefirstparagraphweknowthat.A．mothersoftenpaymuchattentiontotheirnewly-bornbabiesB．itoftentakessometimeforachildtoaccepthis/hernewly-bornbrotherorsisterC．itisgoodforchildrentolearntosingsongstobabiesD．mothersoftentelltheirchildrenhowtolookaftertheiryoungerbrothersorsisters3、Theunderlinedword“strained”means““.A．unnatural B．excitingC．deep D．normal4、WhichwordscandescribeMichael?A．Naughtyandannoying. B．Strongandbrave.C．Activeandcareless. D．Concernedanddetermined.22．（8分）Stuttering(口吃)isacommunicationdisorder(疾病)generallycharacterizedbyunconsciousrepetitionsorpausesintheflowofspeech.Theserepetitionsandpausescanbakemanyforms,suchasrepetitionsofpartsofwords(“l(fā)i-li-likethis”).Sometimes,therearemomentswhenasoundoraperiodofsilenceislengthened(“l(fā)lllikethis”or“l(fā)-ikethis”).Stutteringcanbeclassifiedintoanumberorcommunicationdisorders:neurogenic(神經(jīng)性的)stutteringandpsychogenicstutteringareassociatedwithsuddenonset(發(fā)作)and,astheirnamesimply,withaspecificknowncause—eitheraprobleminthemakeupofthebrainoragreatpsychologicalchallenge.Thesedisordersarecomparativelyrareanddifferintermsofcauses,symptomsandtreatmentfromdevelopmentalstuttering.Developmentalstutteringtypicallystartsbetweentheagesoftwoandahalfandfour.Theonsetofthedisorder,whichcanbegradualorrelativelysudden,generallyoccursduringtheperiodofrapiddevelopmentinachild’slanguageskills,motorskills,character,andsocialinteraction.Thecauseofdevelopmentalstutteringarenotwellunderstoodandvarioustheorieshavebeenofferedthroughoutthehistoryofspeech-languagepathology(thestudyofthecausesandeffectsofillnesses).Therootsofstutteringhavebeenbelievedtorelatetoanumberofcauses:emotionalproblems,neurologicalproblems,improperreactionsfromcaregiversandfamilymembers,languageplanning,andspeechmotordifficultiesamongothers.Thesetheorieshaveshownthepromiseofexplainingsomecharacteristicsofstutteringbutnosingletheoryhasthoroughlydescribedtheexperiencesofpeoplewhostutter.Youngchildrenwhohavestutteredforonlyashorttimehaveahighrateofnaturalrecovery,thoughitisimpossibletodeterminewhichchildrenaremostlikelytorecoverandwhicharelikelytocontinuestuttering.Mostexpertsrecommendearlyevaluationandtreatmentaimedatpreventingthedevelopmentofachronic(慢性的)communicationdisorder.Speech-languagepathologistsdisagreeaboutwhichapproachisbestforolderchildrenandadults.Treatmentoptionsincludetrainingtochangespeechpatterns,turningtodoctorstominimizenegativereactions,drugs,andelectronictoolsthatimprovefluency.Self-helpandsupportgroupsalsoplayanimportantroleinrecoveryformanypeoplewhostutter.Manypeoplewhohavetakenstutteringtreatmentprogramsareabletomakepositivechangesintheirspeechskillsandcommunicationabilitiessotheycancommunicatefreely.1、Ifasmallchildbeginstostutter,hisorherparentsshould________.A．givetheirfamilymoretime B．consultadoctorimmediatelyC．waitforthechildtorecovernaturally D．encouragethechildtospeakfluently2、Whatcanwesayabouttheapproachestotreatmentofstuttering?A．Theyprovetobeuselessforchildren.B．Theyareattheexperimentalstage.C．Theyproducepositiveeffects.D．Theyworkagainsteachother.3、Themainpurposeofthetextisto________.A．describerecentresearchonstutteringB．showustheclassificationofstutteringC．explainthedifferentformsofstutteringD．offersomebasicknowledgeofstuttering23．（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)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.24．（8分）AsurveybyaninternationaltemporaryserviceagencyfoundthatU.S.managersbelievethatpeoplewithasenseofhumourdobetterattheirjobs,comparedwiththosewhohavelittleornosenseofhumour.Infact,about96percentofthosesurveyedsaidpeoplewithasenseofhumourdobetter.Thesurveywentontopointoutthattheresultssuggestthatasenseofhumourmayhelplight-heartedemployeeskeeptheirjobsduringtoughtimes.And,what'smore,itmaypushthemupthecorporateladderpasttheirhumourlesscolleagues.Why?Itseemsthatthosewithasenseofhumourarebettercommunicatorsandbetterteamplayers.Studieshaveshownthathappyworkersaremoreproductive.Infact,aresearcheratCaliforniaStateUniversityfoundthathumourcouldhelptheemployeestoreleasetension.ResearchdonebypsychologistDr.AshtonTriceatMaryBaldwinCollegeinVirginiashowedthathumourhelpsusthink.Whenpeoplefeelstuckonimportantprojects,theytendtofeelangryordepressed.AccordingtoDr.Trice'sresearch,takingtimeouttolaughcanhelpustogetridofnegativefeelingsandallowustoreturntoataskormoveontoanotherprojectunaffectedbypastdefeat.Ifhumourisreallythisimportant,thenwhydon'tweuseitmoreoftenonthejob?Mostlikely,themainreasonisthatmanypeopleareunawareofthepositiveeffectsofhumourintheworkplace.However,itisimportanttorealizethatsomehumourisnotsuitablefortheworkplace,andthatitisoftenusedatwrongtimes.1、Mostpeoplethinkasenseofhumourcan________.A．helpyoutodoyourworkbetterB．makeyouhavearichlifeC．makeyoupleasedwithyourworkD．helpyoutomakemorefriends2、Manypeopledon'tusehumourmoreintheworkplacebecause__________.A．theylikekeepingsilentwhenworkingB．theydon'tknowthepositiveeffectsofhumourC．theythinktheyshouldobeytherulesD．theydon'tlikejokingorlaughing3、Apersonwithoutasenseofhumouriseasier__________.A．tofeelsurprisedB．togetalongwithC．tobeworriedD．tobesuccessful4、Whatisprobablythebesttitleforthearticle?A．PeoplewithaSenseofHumour.B．HumourIsImportantintheWorkplace.C．HumourandHumourless.D．EveryoneLikesHumour.25．（10分）Itseemsthatelectronicdevicesjustkeepgettingsmaller.ScientistsintheUnitedStateshaveannouncedthecreationofthefirsttransistorwithonlytwodimensions（二維）.Atransistorisasmallelectronicdevicethattransfersorcarrieselectroniccurrent.Scientistshopethesenew2Dtransistorswillbeusedforbuildinghigh-resolution（高分辨率）displaysthatneedverylittleenergy.Twogroupsofscientistscreatedthese2Dtransistors.Theyreportthatthetransistorsareonlyafewatomsthick.Usuallytransistorsaremadewiththeelementsilicon（硅）.Computerprocessors,memorychips,TVscreensandotherelectronicdevicescontainbillionsofsilicon-basedtransistors.Buttheseverysmallelectricalpartshavecertainlimitations.DimitrisIoannouisanelectricalengineeringprofessoratGeorgeMasonUniversity.Hesaysthetraditionaltransistorhasbeenimprovedasmuchasitcanbe.Headdsthatresearchershavebeenlookingfornewmaterialswithspecialfeaturesandtheywanttransistorstobeseenthroughandsoft.“Ifthelayersareverythin,thetransistorcanbecomeflexible,soitdoesn'thavetoberigid（堅硬的）,likeitwouldbeinasiliconchip.Sopeoplecanthinkofapplicationslikewearableelectronics,televisionscreensandotherthings,”saidIoannou.Thesenewtransistorscanalsocarryhighercurrent.Theyalsocanmovethecurrentmuchfasterthantraditionaltransistors.Thisisimportantforhigh-definitionscreens.DimitrisIoannousaysthescientificsuccesscouldproveveryusefulinthefuture."Now,howgoodandhowusefulitwillbe,it'sstillinthestageofresearch,butitcertainlyisanadvance,"saidIoannou.1、WhichofthefollowingstatementsaboutthenewlycreatedtransistorisTRUE?A．Theyareexpectedtobeusedinhigh-resolutiondisplays.B．Thetransistorsaremadewiththeelementsilicon.C．Theyarerigid,justliketraditionaltransistors.D．Theyhavealreadybeenputintoactualuse.2、WhatdoestheunderlinedsentenceinParagraph5mean?A．Thetraditionaltransistorshavebeenchangedintotwo-dimensionalones.B．Manyofthetraditionaltransistorshavebeenimprovedovertheyears.C．Thetraditionaltransistorhasbeendevelopedtoitsfullest.D．Thetraditionaltransistorhasbeendevelopedquitewell.3、WhatisDimitrisIoannou'sattitudetowardsthecreationofthenewtransistors?A．Negative.B．Neutral.C．Indifferent.D．Positive.第三部分語言知識運用（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四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項．26．（30分）Iwascyclingandnoticedaperson,aboutaquarterofakilometerinfrontofme.Icouldtellhewascycling1thanmeanddecidedtotrytocatchhim.Ihadaboutakilometertogoontheroad2turningoff.SoI3cyclingfasterandfasterandeveryblock,I4closertohim.AfterjustafewminutesIwasonlyabout100yards5him,soIreallypickedupthepaceand6myself.YouwouldhavethoughtIwacompetingintheOlympicsandcyclinginthe7partofarace.Finally,Icaughtupwithhimand8him.OntheinsideIfeltso9.“Ibeathim!”O(jiān)fcourse,hedidn'tevenknowwewere10.AfterIpassedhim,I11thatIhadbeensofocusedoncompetingagainsthimthatIhad12myturn.Therefore,Ihadtoturnaroundandgoallthewayback.Isn’tthatwhathappensinlifewhenwe13competingwithco-workers,neighbors,andfriends,14toprovethatwearemoresuccessfulormoreimportant?Wespendourtimeandenergychasingafter15andwemissoutonourown16toourfuture.The17ofunhealthycompetitionisthatit’saneverendingcycle.Therewill18besomebodyaheadofyou,someoneonewithabetterjob,moremoneyandmoreeducation,etc.Therefore,justtakewhat19hasgivenyou,yourheight,weightandpersonality.Stayfocusedandliveahealthylife.There'sno20inlife.Runyourownraceandwishotherswell!1、A．morepatientlyB．morenervouslyC．moreexcitedlyD．moreslowly2、A．beforeB．a(chǎn)fterC．unlessD．when3、A．enjoyedB．practicedC．startedD．kept4、A．stayedB．gotC．feltD．stepped5、A．nexttoB．belowC．a(chǎn)headofD．behind6、A．protectedB．pushedC．supportedD．comforted7、A．sameB．onlyC．lastD．other8、A．passedB．shoutedatC．laughedD．helped9、A．calmB．warmC．luckyD．proud10、A．racingB．exercisingC．celebratingD．cycling11、A．believedB．realizedC．predictedD．expected12、A．waitedB．missedC．madeD．ignored13、A．worryaboutB．thinkaboutC．dependonD．focuson14、A．tryingB．a(chǎn)greeingC．continuingD．remembering15、A．himB．herC．themD．you16、A．pathsB．entrancesC．plansD．barriers17、A．taskB．difficultyC．problemD．goal18、A．neverB．oftenC．sometimesD．a(chǎn)lways19、A．futureB．educationC．lifeD．time20、A．mistakeB．competitionC．pressureD．challenge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個適當?shù)膯卧~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Aesop(伊索)wasaslavelivingaround550BC．Wecallthestorieshewrotefables,aseverystoryhasamoral.Almostallthefableshewroteare1．(humor)andentertaining,appealingtopeople2．a(chǎn)llages.Uptonow,Aesop’sfables3．(translate)intomanylanguagesandareknownallovertheworld.Notonly4．thefablesthemselveslivedfornearly1500years,but5．(express)fromthemhaveenteredvariouslanguages.Onefable,forinstance,isaboutafarmerwhowasdrivinghiscartalongacountryroad.Thecartgot6．(stick)inthemud,butthefarmermade7．efforttogetitout.Instead,hebegantopraytothegodsforhelp.ThegodHerculesfinallyappearedandtold8．mantogetbusyandpush9．.“Pushyourshouldertothewheel.”Herculesadvised.Themoralofthestoryisclear.Wemustn’trelyonothersforhelp.Anothersayingwhichhascomefromthefableis“Godhelpsthose10．helpthemselves.”第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下短文。短文中共有10處錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯誤涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（∧），并在此符號下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（＼）劃掉。修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；2、只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。Oncetherehadawoodenpagoda（塔）inmyvillage、Ithadahistoryofovereighthundredsyears、Itwassuchbeautifulandfamousthatmanytouristscametovisititeveryyear、Theytookphotos,writedowntheirnamesonthewallsandeventhrewrubbisheseverywhere、Laterthepagodawasdestroyedbecauseofafireintheforestnearbyit、Thevillagershadtospendagreatdealofmoneybuildanotherpagoda,thatlookedliketheoldone、Nownotonlythevillagersrealizetheimportanceofprotectingthepagodabutalsotouristsknowthattheyshouldtryhisbestnottocausedamagetoit、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李華，你的英國朋友Peter最近對中國歌曲很感興趣，來信詢問你關(guān)于中國流行歌曲的情況。請你就此用英語給他回封信。內(nèi)容包括：1.較以前融入了更多中國傳統(tǒng)音樂；2.中國音樂進入付費時代；3.問他是否有喜歡的中國流行歌曲。注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可以適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫。_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、C2、B3、C4、C5、A6、D7、C8、B9、C10、C11、B12、B13、C14、D15、C16、B17、B18、C19、A20、B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四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21、1、C2、B3、A4、D22、1、B2、C3、D23、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,a33,000km2