영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Time-management researchers frequently mention a principle known as Parkinson's Law, which states that work ①expands to fill the time available for its completion. According to this idea, a task that could be finished in one hour will often stretch to fill an entire afternoon if that much time is scheduled for it. Students who set ②vague deadlines frequently experience this effect, spending extra hours refining a report that was already ③complete. Employees given a full week for a simple project may also delay meaningful progress until the final days, even though the actual work requires far ④more effort. This pattern happens partly because people unconsciously adjust their pace to match perceived urgency. Setting shorter, more specific deadlines can ⑤counter this tendency, forcing tasks to fit within a tighter and more realistic window.

Many teenagers check their social media accounts dozens of times a day, worried that they might miss something important happening among their friends. This anxiety, known as FOMO, or the fear of missing out, arises when people believe that others are enjoying experiences from which they themselves are excluded. For example, a student scrolling through photos of a party she was not invited to may suddenly feel a wave of loneliness and regret, even though the event has already ended. Constantly refreshing feeds to avoid missing such updates, however, makes it difficult to concentrate on schoolwork or conversations happening in the present moment. Moreover, this endless comparison with curated highlights of other people's lives tends to deepen feelings of anxiety rather than relieve them. Therefore, students should learn to ___________.

Last January, Minji wrote the same resolution she always wrote: study English for an hour every day. By February, she had already quit, just as in previous years. Frustrated, she asked her teacher why her willpower always failed, and learned about a concept called ___________. This idea, developed by psychologists, means forming a specific if-then plan that links a certain situation to a certain action in advance. Instead of vaguely intending to study more, Minji made a precise plan: if she finished dinner, then she would study for thirty minutes.

Psychologists have long studied a mechanism called the variable reward schedule, in which rewards arrive unpredictably rather than after every single action. Slot machines famously exploit this principle, and social media notifications operate on strikingly similar logic. When someone posts a photo, they cannot predict exactly when likes will appear, nor how many they will eventually receive. This uncertainty triggers a small burst of dopamine each time the phone is checked, regardless of whether the result is disappointing or thrilling. Consequently, users often refresh their feeds compulsively, hoping the next check will finally bring a satisfying reward. What makes this troubling is that technology companies deliberately designed notification systems using insights borrowed from gambling research, rather than stumbling upon them by accident. Such practices raise serious ethical questions about manipulating users' brains for profit. Therefore, people must _______________.

When Mina was a freshman, she often spent her allowance within a few days. Her older cousin told her about the marshmallow experiment, a famous study in which children could eat one marshmallow immediately or wait for two. Researchers found that children who waited longer showed better academic performance and self-control years later. This ___________ is known as delayed gratification. Inspired by the study, Mina began saving half of her allowance each week instead of spending it all on snacks.

Not all obstacles to renewable energy are technical or financial; some are psychological. (A) In contrast, switching demands research, upfront cost, and trust in unfamiliar technology, all of which can seem risky compared with doing nothing. For example, a neighborhood association might repeatedly postpone a vote on shared solar panels, not because the plan is flawed, but because members are reluctant to leave their routine. Therefore, boosting renewable adoption may depend less on proving its advantages and more on designing programs that make the first step feel easy. (B) Behavioral economists use the term status quo bias to describe a tendency to prefer the present situation over a new alternative, even when the alternative would bring greater benefits. (C) This bias helps explain why many households hesitate to switch to renewable energy, such as installing solar panels on their roofs. Although solar panels can lower electricity bills over time, homeowners often stick with their current power source because it feels safe and requires no immediate effort.

Nomophobia, short for "no-mobile-phone phobia," describes the intense anxiety many people feel when they are separated from their smartphones. (A) For instance, some individuals check their phones every few minutes even when they know no one has contacted them, simply to ease this fear. (B) This anxiety often includes physical symptoms such as a racing heart or sweating, especially when the phone's battery is running low or its signal disappears. (C) Because of these effects, experts recommend gradually limiting phone use to build tolerance for being disconnected.

The Pomodoro Technique was originally developed using a simple kitchen timer shaped like a tomato. (A) Its creator discovered that dividing study time into short, timed intervals made it far easier to maintain concentration than studying for hours without pause. (B) Today, many productivity apps replicate this same twenty-five-minute cycle, allowing users to track their focused sessions digitally. (C) Based on this discovery, he designed a structured cycle of focused work followed by brief rest, which eventually became known worldwide.

Many self-help books emphasize the cue-routine-reward loop as a tool for building better habits. (A) For example, athletes who want to build a stretching habit often rely on a specific cue, such as arriving at the gym, to trigger the same short routine every time. (B) Over time, this consistent pairing strengthens the neural pathway connecting the cue to the routine, making the behavior feel almost automatic. (C) According to this model, every habit consists of three connected parts: a cue that triggers behavior, a routine that follows, and a reward that reinforces it.

주어진 문장: In other words, silence breeds even more silence, feeding a self-reinforcing cycle. Communication scholar Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann proposed the spiral of silence theory to explain why certain opinions dominate public discussion while others fade into invisibility. ( ① ) According to this theory, individuals constantly observe their surrounding environment to judge which opinions are widely accepted and which are not. ( ② ) When people sense that their own view belongs to a minority, they often choose to stay silent rather than risk social isolation or criticism. ( ③ ) This silence, however, creates a distorted impression that the minority opinion is even rarer than it actually is, discouraging additional supporters from speaking up. ( ④ ) Over time, this cycle spirals downward, allowing the dominant opinion to appear increasingly unanimous while dissenting voices disappear from visible conversation. ( ⑤ ) Social media platforms can intensify this spiral, since visibility metrics make popular opinions instantly noticeable while unpopular ones remain hidden.