영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Many teachers and parents worry that today's teenagers are losing the ability ①to read long, complex texts. National test scores show a slow decline in reading comprehension over the past ten years, and some experts blame smartphones and short videos for ②shortening students' attention spans. Other researchers disagree with this simple explanation. They point out that teenagers today ③read constantly, just in different forms, such as text messages, captions, and online articles. According to this view, the real problem is not that students read less overall, but that they rarely practice reading long passages without any interruption. A team of researchers recently found that students ④who read at least one full book every month scored noticeably higher on comprehension tests than students who mainly read short online posts. This result suggests that the format of reading, rather than simple screen time, may ⑤being the more important factor behind the changing scores.

Have you ever thrown away an old pair of jeans simply because they no longer fit? Instead of ①discarding them, many people now turn old items into something new and useful. This creative process, ②called upcycling, transforms unwanted objects into products with greater value than before. For example, a worn pair of jeans can be cut and sewn into a sturdy bag or a small pouch. Old wooden pallets, ③once using for shipping, are often rebuilt into simple furniture such as tables and shelves. However, upcycling differs from ordinary recycling, ④which usually breaks materials down before making something new. In upcycling, the original material keeps most of its form while ⑤gaining a fresh purpose.

Picture books are usually written for young children, but a growing number of adults are picking them up for themselves. At first glance, a picture book seems too simple for someone who has already learned to read long novels. However, many picture books deal with serious themes, such as loss, fear, and change, using only a few carefully chosen words, which means that _______________. This slower pace can feel calming for adults who are used to rushing through long articles and constant notifications.

Every Wednesday evening, a small group meets in a quiet cafe to talk about a book they have all just finished. Members insist that reading the same novel together changes the experience completely. Alone, a reader usually forms one interpretation and rarely questions it again. In a group, however, _______________. Members also say that having a discussion planned in advance pushes them to finish books they might otherwise put down halfway through.

Speed-reading courses promise a simple result: read several times faster while understanding just as much as before. Some students do learn to move their eyes faster after a short course. However, researchers who study reading have found a serious problem with these claims. Understanding a text depends not just on how quickly your eyes move across it, but on how deeply your brain processes each sentence and connects new ideas to what you already know. In careful studies, speed-reading graduates often score no better on comprehension tests than ordinary readers who read at a normal pace. This suggests that _______________.

For most of the twentieth century, a library was simply a quiet room full of books, and visitors were expected to stay silent while they searched the shelves. Today, many public libraries look completely different. _______________. Librarians say this change did not happen by accident. As more information moved online, fewer people needed a library simply to find facts, so librarians began asking what their communities actually needed instead.

Water looks endless when it flows from the tap every morning. However, clean water is actually a limited resource that we must protect carefully. Many families waste water without even noticing it in their daily routine. For example, leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth can waste several liters of water. In contrast, turning off the tap during that time saves a surprising amount of water each day. Taking a shorter shower is another easy habit that reduces water use significantly. Fixing a leaking faucet, which many people ignore, can also save hundreds of liters every month. Saving water is like keeping money in a savings account for the future. Therefore, small changes in our daily habits, practiced by every family, can protect this precious resource. _______________.

Many people throw away items that they no longer need. However, some students have started to buy and sell used goods instead of throwing them away. This practice, often called secondhand trading, takes place at flea markets or through simple online apps. When you buy a secondhand book or a used bicycle, you save money and reduce waste at the same time. For example, a jacket that no longer fits your older sibling can become a treasure for someone else. Giving an old item to a new owner is like giving a toy a second life. In contrast, throwing away useful items increases the amount of trash that ends up in landfills. Therefore, secondhand trading, which requires little effort, _______________. Small choices like this can make a big difference for our planet.

Students often groan when a classic novel appears on their reading list, complaining that the language feels old-fashioned and the plot moves too slowly. (A) Readers often discover that a character written hundreds of years ago struggles with feelings that still feel familiar today. For these reasons, many teachers argue that classics deserve a place on every reading list, not because they are old, but because they are still relevant. (B) It is true that classic literature can be harder to read than a modern bestseller written in casual, everyday language. Yet this very difficulty is part of why classics remain valuable for young readers today. (C) Working through unfamiliar sentence patterns and vocabulary trains the brain to handle complex texts, a skill that transfers directly to other subjects and to standardized tests. Beyond language training, classic novels also explore themes such as jealousy, ambition, and loss that have not changed much across centuries.

In other words, wide reading does not just add facts to a student's memory; it changes the way that student questions everything else. Students who read many books across many different subjects often develop a habit that quieter learners sometimes lack: the habit of comparing new information with what they already know. ( ① ) A student who has read about ancient wars, ocean ecosystems, and modern economics can more easily notice when two different subjects share a similar pattern. ( ② ) This kind of connection-making is closely related to what psychologists call critical thinking. ( ③ ) Seeing a familiar pattern in an unfamiliar topic allows a person to ask sharper questions instead of accepting new information at face value. ( ④ ) Extensive reading also builds a large mental library of examples, which makes it easier to evaluate whether a new claim sounds reasonable or exaggerated. ( ⑤ ) Teachers often notice that widely read students argue more carefully, supporting their opinions with specific examples rather than vague generalizations. For this reason, many educators now argue that assigning a wide variety of reading material may do more for a student's thinking skills than any single course in logic.