北京市西城區(qū)第五十六中學(xué)2025屆高考英語二模試卷含解析

北京市西城區(qū)第五十六中學(xué)2025屆高考英語二模試卷請(qǐng)考生注意：1．請(qǐng)用2B鉛筆將選擇題答案涂填在答題紙相應(yīng)位置上，請(qǐng)用0．5毫米及以上黑色字跡的鋼筆或簽字筆將主觀題的答案寫在答題紙相應(yīng)的答題區(qū)內(nèi)。寫在試題卷、草稿紙上均無效。2．答題前，認(rèn)真閱讀答題紙上的《注意事項(xiàng)》，按規(guī)定答題。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．WhenIwastwenty,Ihadto________beforegraduationandworkinaclothesshoptohelpsupportmyfamily.A．comeout B．stayoutC．leaveout D．dropout2．Whyaresomebrandsmorepopularthanothers______theproductsareofsimilarquality?A．a(chǎn)sthough B．evenif C．sothat D．incase3．It’snearlyfouryearssinceIworkedinthatfirm.I________abandwithotherfellows.A．operated B．hadbeenoperatingC．wasoperating D．a(chǎn)moperating4．Thedoctor’sdilemmawas_____heshouldtellthepatientthetruth.A．whether B．whichC．that D．what5．Alice’sfatheralwaysbringsheranicegift________hereturnshomefromhisbusinesstrip.A．bythetime B．a(chǎn)llthetimeC．everytime D．inthetime6．Havingbattledwiththeir_______overwhethertoofferhelptoanagedmanorwomanwhohasfallenover,mostpeoplechoosetohelp.A．compromise B．contradictionC．conscience D．competence7．—BoB．couldIuseyourcomputerthisevening?—Sorry.Iareportonitthen.A．willbewriting B．havebeenwritingC．havewritten D．willhavewritten8．______toworkovertimethatevening,Imissedawonderfulfilm.A．HavingbeenaskedB．ToaskC．HavingaskedD．Tobeasked9．Pleasecallmysecretarytoarrangeameetingthisafternoon，or____________itisconvenienttoyou.A．wherever B．howeverC．whichever D．whenever10．________sheisnotsohealthy_______sheusedtobe?A．Whyisitthat;whatB．Whyitisthat;thatC．Whyisitthat;asD．Whyitisthat;who11．Thegirlissuretobecomeagoodactress__________shegetstherighttraining.A．until B．if C．a(chǎn)lthough D．unless12．Thereasonwhyheadaptedtothenewsituationsquicklyisthathehada________attitude.A．changeableB．stableC．movableD．flexible13．________onFebruary5,2019,theWanderingEarthsoonbecameagreathit.A．Releasing B．BeingreleasedC．Released D．Torelease14．Withthedevelopmentofscience,morenewtechnology______tothefieldsofIT.A．hasintroduced B．isbeingintroducedC．isintroduced D．wasintroduced15．Shehasexpressedherhope______theforeignstudentswillspreadthegoodwillandsincerityoftheChinesepeopletootherpartsoftheworld.A．that B．whichC．whether D．what16．Thesecurityjudgewasvery_________whensheexplainedthatthedrivinglicencewasnecessaryforherwork.A．reasonable B．natural C．ridiculous D．a(chǎn)vailable17．Ellenisafantasticdancer.IwishI________aswellasher.A．dance B．willdanceC．haddanced D．danced18．Atthattime,mymindwasacomplete_______;Icouldn'tthinkofasingleanswer.A．blank B．bonusC．blow D．bottom19．Mytoothacheme.Ithoughtitwasgoingaway,butitisgettingworsenow.A．killsB．iskillingC．haskilledD．killed20．Look,____fashionableclothesisshewearingthatalltheeyesarefixedonher!A．so B．such C．how D．what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）Onthedaythetornadohit,therewasnoindicationsevereweatherwasonitsway—theskywasblueandthesunhadbeenout.Thefirstwarningmyhusband,JimmyandIgotcamearound9p.m.,fromsomescrollingtextontheTVJimmywaswatching.Nosoonerhadwefoundcoverageofthetornadothanitwasontopofus.Ididn’tknowhoworifwewouldmakeitdownthesteps.Itfeltasiftherewerenofloorunderneathmeasthewindliftedmeoffmyfeet.Igrippedthebanister(樓梯扶手)andtriedtomoveforward,butthisintensepressureheldmeinplace.Inthosesecondsofpracticalstillness,Icouldheareverythingaroundmerattling.Wegotclosetothestaircaselandingonlytoheartheloudripping（撕裂）soundofourgaragedoorcomingoff.Thebackwallofthehousefollowedsuitandtoreoffintothedarknessoutside.BythetimeIreachedthecloset,thetornadohadbeenoverusforaboutaminute.Jimmypushedmedowntotheclosetfloor,buthecouldn’tgetinsidehimselfbecauseofthewind.IheldJimmy’sarmtightlyasthetornadosuckedthedooropen—weneverdidgetitfullyshut—andtriedtobringJimmywithit.Mykneesandheadwerefullofglass,butinthatmoment,Ifeltnopain.IfIhadletgo,Jimmywouldhaveflownrightoutthebackofthehouseandintothebay.“Holdon!Holdon!”heyelled.Buttherewasnothinginthisclosettoholdonto.Allofasudden,Jimmyliftedoffhisfeetlikepeopleintornadoesdointhemovies.Ithoughthewasgone.Andtheneverythingstopped.Helandedonhisfeet.Inthosefirstquietmoments,Icouldn’tbelieveitwasover.Jimmysaidhe’dgooutsidetocheck.“No,”Isaid.“Don’tleaveme.Don’tleaveme.”1、Whatdoestheunderlinedwordcoveragemean?A．damageB．reportsC．a(chǎn)rrivalD．delay2、Inthelastbuttwoparagraphs,whydidtheauthorfeelnopain?A．Becauseshewastooeagertohelpherhusbandtofeelit.B．Becauseshewasfrozeninamazement.C．Becauseshewasheldentirelybythepoweroftornado.D．Becauseshewasfrightenedbythedamagecausedbythedisaster.3、Thefeelingoftheauthorduringthedisastercanbedescribedas_______A．scared,surprisedbutcalmB．surprised,terrifiedbutdeterminedC．a(chǎn)stonished,confusedandmovedD．a(chǎn)mazed,determinedandgrateful22．（8分）Ilookaroundandcan’trecognizewhereIam.Itseemsfamiliarbutdistant.IseemyfriendsgatheredbyastagewheremusicisplayingandIrunover.AsIbeginrunningtowardsthem,theybecomefurtherandfurtheraway.Ikeepcallingforthem,butnoonehearsme.Istarthearingadistantalarm-likesoundandIamtransportedaway.Iwokeupinadaze(茫然)sittinginmybed.“Oh,itwasonlyadream,”Isaidtomyself.Ihavealwayshadvividandintensedreams.Sometimes,itfeelslikeIhaven’tevensleptbecauseIhavebeenlivingoutmydreamsduringmysleep.Today,dreamingisbeingstudiedevenmorethanever.Somesaythatdreamsarehowyourreceptors(受體)makesenseofrandomthoughtswhileyousleep.Somesaythatyoucan’tdreamofafaceyouhaveneverseenbefore,soeveryoneyouseeinyourdreamsyouhaveatleastlaideyesonatonetimeoranother.Otherpeoplethinkdreamsarewaysofexpressingstressorinternalfeelingsyoumaybeexperiencing.Alotofpeoplesaythattheyhavedreamsaboutbeingchased(追逐).Acommoninterpretationofthe“beingchased”dreamisthatyouarefeelingthreatened.Somedreaminterpretationsitessayyoushouldtrytoreflectonwhatorwhoischasingyoutogetabetterideaofwhatismakingyoufeelthisway.Anotherdreamthatisoftenexperiencedisflying.Thisdreamhasamuchmorepositiveinterpretation,whichisthatyouarefeelingfreeorhavebrokenoutofabadsituationsuchasarelationshipturnedsourorajobyouhate.Unfortunately,ifyouevenrememberyourdreamsatall,youforgethalfofyourdreamwithinfiveminutesofwakingupandwithin10minutes,youusuallyforget90percentofit.Dreamologists,peoplewhodevotetimetothestudyandinterpretationofdreams,suggestifyouwanttotrytorememberandstudyyourdreamsyoushouldkeepajournalbesideyourbedandjotdownwhatyoudreamtassoonasyouwakeupsoyoucanreflectonitlater.1、Dreamsof“beingchased”occurbecause________.A．youarefeelingthreatenedB．youjustquitajobyouhateC．yourfriendsarefarawayfromyouwheninneedD．yourreceptorsisalwaysthinkingwhileyousleep2、Whyshouldwekeepajournalbesideyourbedtoreflectondreams?A．Weneedtochasethosepeoplewhoappearedinourdreams.B．Weusuallyforget90percentofdreamswithin10minutes.C．Itcanhelpusgetoutoftheintensedreams.D．Itcanhelpussleepwellwithoutdreams.3、Wherecanwereadthisarticle?A．Inaposter.B．Inaphysicsbook.C．Inatravelingmagazine.D．Inasciencenewspaper.4、Whatisthebesttitleforthepassage?A．WhyamIAlwaysDreamingB．HowIsMyDreamCreatedC．WhatdoMyDreamsMeanD．HowtoAvoidDreams23．（8分）Peoplewhohaveredhairandpeoplewhoarelosingtheirhaircouldfinallygettheirownemoji(表情符號(hào)).TheEmojipediawebsitehasshownnewemojisfollowingdemandsthattheyshouldbemorediverse.Ifitsideasareapproved,thenewemojiscouldbeaddedin2018,alongsidenewcharactersthathavegrey,curlyorAfrohair.“Newstylesfocusonappearancesthataren’tcurrentlysupportedintheinformalskintoneandhaircolorpairings(組合)usedonmanycellphones,”showedonepageonthewebsite.ThepagegaveJessicaChastainandEdSheeranasexamplesofpeoplewithredhair.SineadO’ConnorandSamuelLKacksonweregivenasexamplesofpeoplewithnohairorashavenhead.Theemojiscouldbereleasedin2018ifchosenbytheUnicodeConsortiumwhichmetinJanuary,2017followinganumberofcomplaintsaboutlackofdiversity.“Non-naturallyoccurringfeatures,suchasbluehairandtattoos,arenotincludedinthisproject,”thewebsiteadded.Attheendof2016,ApplepublisheditsiOS10.2softwareupdatewhichincluded72newemojissuchasfirefighters,astronauts,rockstarsandsoon.Butpeoplewhohaveredhairwerenotablyabsent,causingaglobalprotest.AwebsiteinScotlanddemandinggingeremojisgot20,000signatures.Themainissueisthatthereisoneorganization,knownasUnicodeConsortium,whocontrolsemojisoniPhone.InMarch,anewlistofemojiswaspublishedbyEmojipediawhichmightbereleasedlaterthisyear.However,theemojisneedtobeapprovedbytheUnicodeTechnicalCommitteebeforepeoplecanusethem.In2015,gingeremojiswerepublishedontheGooglePlayStoreforAndroid.Butupuntilnow,theUnicodeConsortiumhasnotbeenwillingtogiveintogingercampaigners.1、Whichofthefollowingemojiscouldbeincludedin2018?A．Characterswithblackhair.B．Characterswithwhiteskin.C．Characterswithshavenheads.D．Characterswithsmilingfaces.2、TattoosarerejectedbytheUnicodeConsortiumbecause________.A．thereisnodemandforthemB．peopledislikesuchemojisC．theyareoutoffashionD．theyarenotnaturalidentity3、WhatistheUnicodeConsortium’sattitudetogingeremojis?A．Favorable.B．Ambiguous.C．Disapproving.D．Uncaring.4、Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A．NewEmojistoBEAddedin2018B．ComplaintsaboutthePresentEmojisC．DemandsforNewandInformalEmojisD．GlobalProtestsagainsttheLackofDiversity24．（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.25．（10分）Ihaveaneighborwecall“Happy”.Ihaveneverseenherangryatanythingandneverheardhersayaharsh(苛刻)wordtoanyoneoraboutanyone.HappyandherhusbandBen,70,haveahugegarden.Theyspentmanyhappyhourstogetherworkingonit.MostoftheneighborswatchedinterestinglyasBendoubledthesizeoftheirgarden.AsthecostoffoodclimbedfasterthanBen’sbeans,weallwishedwealsohadsuchalargegarden.Astherestofusspentourdollarsatthemarket,Happycouldbeseenpickingbeansinherbackyard.Lastmonth,HappyandBeninvitedmostoftheneighborhoodoverforan“all-dayfoodfest”.Weweretoldtobringglovesandarriveveryearlyinthemorning.Wedidn’tknowwhatwasabouttotakeplace.By9:00am,therewerenineofusinthegardenpickingtomatoes,beans,okra,andsquash.By10:00am,therewaslotsoflaughter.Wesharedalotofstories.Byfiveo’clock,everyonewasalittledrunkfromthewineandbeer.Afterdinner,weplayedgames.Aswewereleaving,HappyandBenhandedeachofusashoppingbagfilledwiththebounty（收成）oftheday,alreadypackagedandfrozen.Whatadelightfulgift!Well,thepointwasn’tsomuchaboutthefood.Thetruegiftwasadayoffriendsenjoyingoneanother’scompany.NoneofitwouldhavehappenedifithadnotbeenforHappyandBen’sgarden.Nowtheyhaveablogaboutgardeningincasewedecidedtoplantagarden.AndIamsoproudofmytomatoplants!1、WecaninferthatHappyandherhusbandBen_______.A．don’tlikespendingtimewithothersB．sometimesquarrelwitheachotherC．liveonthefoodtheygrowintheirgardenD．a(chǎn)reagenerousandwarm-heartedcouple2、Accordingtoparagraph2,peoplewishtheyalsohadagardensothat_______.A．theydidn’thavetospendsomuchmoneyonfoodB．theycouldgrowvegetablesandsellatthemarketC．theycouldinvitetheirneighborsandholdpartiesinitD．theycouldspendhappytimestogetherwiththeirfamilyinit3、ForwhatpurposedidHappyandBeninvitetheneighborstotheirgarden?A．ToaskthemtoattendabirthdaypartyB．Tohelpthemgettoknoweachother.C．Toletthemenjoywhattheygrewinthegarden.D．Toaskthemtosharesomeinterestingstories.4、Whatdidthewritermostprobablythinkofthetimehespentinthegarden?A．Itwastoolong.B．Itwaswonderful.C．Itwasnotasgoodashethought.D．Itwastooterrible.第三部分語言知識(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）WhenIwasintheninthgrade,myparentsstartedfighting.Icouldhearthem1ateachotheratnight.Italwaysseemedliketheywerefightingaboutme.Istartedto2andcouldn’tfallasleep.SomenightsIdidn’tfeellikeI3atall.Mygradesreallystartedto4too.ItwashardtopayattentionduringclassbecauseIfeltso5allthetime.Mymomhadtotakemetoseeatherapist(治療專家).Ontheway,I6toworryevenmore.Whatwouldmyfriends7meiftheyknewIwasgoingtoseeatherapist?Whatifthetherapistcouldn’t8me?Itwasnotthat9Mytherapistaskedmealotofquestionsandthenwetalkedabouthowmylifemight10ifIwasabletogetmoresleep.11Iunderstoodhowthefuturecouldbebetter,Ifeltreally12totrynewthings.Attheendofthesession,Iwassenthomewithapieceofpapercalledasleepdiary.WhenIwokeupeachmorning,Ihadtoanswerallthesequestionsaboutmysleep.13,shegavemehomeworkrelatedtomysleep.Iwasn’t14totextorbeonmycomputerafter8pm.IfIcouldn’tfallasleepafterabouttenminutes,shewantedmetogetupanddosomethinginanotherroomthatwouldhelpmeto15andfeelsleepy.Duringthetherapysessions,shewasacheerleaderformylifeandkept16outallthethingsIwasdoingright.Withherhelp,itwassomucheasiertonoticethe17thingsthatwerehappeningallaroundme.Afterabouttwomonthsofseeingmytherapist,Iwassleepingatleasteighthoursanight,sometimesevennine!Ifelthappier.Icould18Mygradesgotbetter.Basically,Ifeltlikemyself!Itwassomuchbettertoadmitthatsomethingwas19andtodosomethingtofixit20justwatchmywholelifegetworseandworse.1、A．laughing B．shooting C．knocking D．screaming2、A．doubt B．worry C．protest D．quarrel3、A．slept B．a(chǎn)te C．spoke D．dreamed4、A．reduce B．change C．drop D．influence5、A．bored B．tired C．upset D．shy6、A．refused B．happened C．ended D．started7、A．thinkabout B．worryabout C．getonwith D．a(chǎn)greewith8、A．teach B．fix C．a(chǎn)nswer D．recognize9、A．helpful B．interesting C．a(chǎn)wful D．practical10、A．improve B．develop C．benefit D．a(chǎn)djust11、A．If B．Unless C．Though D．Once12、A．nervous B．surprised C．excited D．calm13、A．Therefore B．Besides C．However D．Instead14、A．a(chǎn)llowed B．reminded C．a(chǎn)sked D．persuaded15、A．study B．relax C．respond D．recover16、A．picking B．trying C．leaving D．pointing17、A．tiny B．exciting C．positive D．important18、A．forgive B．concentrate C．a(chǎn)ppreciate D．understand19、A．wrong B．significant C．a(chǎn)cceptable D．realistic20、A．insteadof B．a(chǎn)swellas C．ratherthan D．otherthan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）InrecentyearsmanyTVshowshavebecomeextremelypopularamongChineseaudience.Thoseprograms,rangingfromtalentordatingshowstorealityshows1．(receive)bothcommercialsuccessandpublicattention.Theirpopularityis2．(main)basedonsimplefacts.First,theycare3．socialconcerns.Second,withoutexception,theyexplore4．perfectbalancebetweentheinternationalformsandChineseexpressions.Despiteapparenthighlights,muchroom5．(leave)forimprovement.

Aboveall,commercialinterestsoftenoutweigheducationalpurposes,causingmany6．(complaint)aboutthe7．(bearable)advertisements.Inaddition,somesharpremarks,8．theyareeye-catching,mayhavemisleadingeffectsontheyouth.Inmyopinion,suchshowsshouldshouldermoreresponsibilityinsteadofmerely9．(entertain)thepublic.10．isexpected,theseprogramsshouldbepositiveintheirformsaswellasfunctions.Meanwhile,themedia

shouldalsosafeguardthe

valuesofoursociety.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）請(qǐng)修改下面這篇短文。文中共有10處語言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)（∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（\)劃掉。修改：在錯(cuò)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(cuò)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(jì)分。Goodmorning,everyone!NowI'dliketosharingmyviewinreading、Ithinkreadingisoneofthemorebeneficialandpracticalactivitiesthatamancando、Itisthroughreadingwhichapersonisabletodiscovernewideas,places,andpeople、EventhoughIhadaheavyloadofclasses,Icanmanagetofindaboutfortiethminutesadaytoreadbooks、Iprefertoreadbeforesleepingorwhilewaitingabus、Asaresult,youcanwritemanygoodarticle、Icanalsotakepartinconversationwithotherseasy、Letsreadsomebookstogetherandtalkaboutthemanexttime!That’sall、Thankyou、46第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）眾所周知，運(yùn)動(dòng)給大家身心帶來許多好處，請(qǐng)以TheImportanceofSports為題，根據(jù)下列要點(diǎn)，寫一篇100字左右的短文。運(yùn)動(dòng)可以使人保持身體健康……運(yùn)動(dòng)可以使人年輕，表現(xiàn)得自信……運(yùn)動(dòng)可以使人工作后得到放松……運(yùn)動(dòng)可以使……注意:1.對(duì)所給要點(diǎn)逐一陳述，適當(dāng)發(fā)揮，不要簡單翻譯。2.詞數(shù)100左右。3.作文中不得提及考生所在學(xué)校和本人姓名_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、D2、B3、D4、A5、C6、C7、A8、A9、D10、C11、B12、D13、C14、B15、A16、A17、D18、A19、B20、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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21、1、C2、A3、B22、1、A2、B3、D4、C23、1、C2、D3、C4、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,electronicandradiosignalsareforbiddeneveryhourofeveryday.Peoplewholivewithina15kmoftheGreenBanktelescopeareallowedtouselandlinetelephones,wiredInternetandcabletelevisions,butmicrowaveovens,wirelessInternetandradiosareforbidden.Youcanhaveamobilephone,butyouwon’tgetasignal.BecauseofhowmuchitswayoflifevariesfromtherestofAmerica,GreenBankseemstobeasomewhatisolated(隔絕),evenalien