영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Stairs seem too ordinary ① to be dangerous, which is why many people treat them carelessly, texting, carrying an armful of books, or skipping two steps at a time. Emergency room records tell a different story: falls on stairways ② sends more people to the hospital each year than almost any other household accident. Familiarity encourages a kind of autopilot mode, in which a person stops ③ looking at each step and instead relies on memory of where the stairs should be, a habit that ④ fails the moment something unexpected occurs, such as a missing step or a loose railing. Safety officials recommend a few unglamorous habits: keep one hand free, use the handrail, and turn on the light before ⑤ stepping onto a dark staircase.

Central High School will host its annual career fair next Thursday in the main gymnasium. More than thirty companies ①are expected to set up booths to introduce different careers. Students can talk directly with workers ②who represent fields such as medicine, engineering, and design. Each booth will offer a short activity ③designed to let visitors experience a small part of the job. In addition, three guest speakers will give short talks ④about their career paths during the lunch break. Teachers strongly encourage all students ⑤attend, even those who already have a career in mind.

Every summer, lifeguards repeat the same warnings to swimmers, yet drowning remains one of the most common causes of accidental death among teenagers. Part of the problem is that danger in water rarely looks ① dramatic; a swimmer struggling to stay afloat often makes little noise and shows no obvious signs of panic, which means bystanders may not realize help is needed until it is too late. Rip currents present a particularly ② deceptive threat, since the water's surface can appear calm even while a powerful current pulls a swimmer steadily away from shore. Experts advise that anyone caught in such a current should swim parallel to the beach rather than struggling directly against it, since fighting the current head-on quickly ③ strengthens even a strong swimmer. Simple habits, such as swimming near a lifeguard station and never entering the water alone, dramatically ④ lower the risk of a minor mistake turning into a fatal ⑤ one.

My grandmother keeps a wooden cabinet filled with tiny furniture, each piece no larger than a fingernail, that she has been building for over a decade as a miniature hobby. When I first saw the cabinet, I assumed the appeal was simply how impressively small and precise the pieces looked. Talking with her while she worked, though, I learned that _______________. She once spent three weekends carving a single tiny bookshelf, only to leave two of its shelves deliberately empty, explaining that a completely full room would look staged rather than lived-in. That small decision taught me that miniature craft is not primarily about precision, but about convincingly imagining an ordinary life small enough to fit inside a shoebox.

Have you ever wondered why some people stay motivated while others give up quickly? The answer often lies in ___________. When people have no specific goal, they usually feel confused about where to start, and their interest fades within days. For example, a student who simply decides to study harder this year often loses direction because the plan is too vague. In contrast, a student who sets a clear goal, such as raising an English score by ten points, knows exactly what to do every day. This clarity creates strong motivation because the brain naturally focuses on a clear target. Setting a specific goal is one of the most effective ways to build lasting motivation.

When someone's heart suddenly stops beating, the brain begins to suffer damage within minutes unless blood keeps circulating, which is why the actions taken by an ordinary bystander before paramedics arrive can matter as much as the treatment given at the hospital. (A) Studies show that a person who receives CPR immediately from someone nearby is far more likely to survive than one who waits for professional help to arrive. (B) Despite this, many people hesitate to start chest compressions, worried that they might break a rib or make the situation worse. (C) Medical instructors respond to this fear: a cracked rib heals, but a brain deprived of oxygen for too long does not.

Every semester, students groan when the fire alarm rings for another routine drill, filing out of the building as if the exercise were simply a break from class. (A) During an actual fire, thick smoke can fill hallways within minutes, cutting visibility to almost nothing and making it dangerously easy to panic or take a wrong turn. (B) This casual attitude, however, overlooks why the drill exists in the first place. (C) Repeating the same evacuation route again and again trains the body to move automatically, even when the mind is too frightened to think clearly.

Most students only see the final result, a few smooth minutes each morning. Behind that short program, however, broadcasting club members follow a busy daily routine. (A) At exactly eight o'clock, the red light turns on, and the live broadcast begins. During class hours, however, most members return to their regular classroom lessons like everyone else. (B) Members arrive at school thirty minutes earlier than other students to prepare the studio. They check the microphones, the cameras, and the lighting before anyone else arrives. Meanwhile, the script team finalizes the news script that was written the night before. Once everything is ready, the anchors practice their lines one last time. (C) After school, the club meets again to review that morning's recording and discuss any mistakes. Through this daily routine, members slowly learn skills such as teamwork and quick thinking under pressure.

Psychologists point to three main reasons why new year's resolutions often fail within a few days. (A) Second, many resolutions are unrealistic from the start, since people set goals that are far too difficult to reach in a short time. (B) First, willpower works like a muscle that becomes tired after being used too much, so people run out of self-control quickly. (C) Third, most resolutions do not offer any immediate reward, which makes it hard to stay motivated without seeing fast results.

That small imperfection, more than anything, was proof of how much I had actually learned that day. For my birthday, my older sister took me to a small pottery studio where visitors can shape their own bowl or cup on a spinning wheel. ( ① ) I expected the wheel to do most of the difficult work automatically, since it was already spinning quickly by the time I sat down. ( ② ) My first attempt collapsed into a shapeless lump within seconds, because I had not realized how much steady, centered pressure the clay actually requires before it can be shaped at all. ( ③ ) The instructor explained that beginners almost always press too hard on one side, which throws the entire piece off balance no matter how fast or slow the wheel spins. ( ④ ) After nearly a dozen failed attempts, I finally produced a lopsided but recognizable cup, and the small imperfection along its rim somehow made me prouder of it than a perfectly smooth, machine-made mug ever could have. ( ⑤ ) Clay, I learned that afternoon, rewards patience far more generously than it rewards force.