영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Many students assume that perfectionists work harder than everyone else, but psychologists describe a puzzling pattern ①called the perfectionism-procrastination cycle. This term describes how an intense fear of imperfect work ②cause people to delay starting a task rather than begin it. Because perfectionists set impossibly high standards, they often feel anxious before they even begin, and the task feels ③overwhelming. They then postpone the work to avoid ④facing their own unrealistic expectations, even though delay only increases their stress later. For example, a student writing a research paper might spend hours reorganizing notes instead of composing a single sentence that ⑤feels good enough.

Jian wanted to become a reader for years, but every time he picked up a thick novel, he felt overwhelmed and quickly ①close it. His cousin, who had read dozens of books that year, told him about something called the two-minute rule. This rule states that a new habit should be ②shrunk to under two minutes, since a smaller starting point removes the friction that usually stops people from beginning. Instead of ③committing to a full chapter each night, Jian promised himself only to open a book and read one page. Some nights he stopped after that single page, but most nights, once ④started, he kept reading for twenty or thirty minutes without noticing. Within three months, Jian had finished five books, ⑤proving that reducing friction can matter more than motivation itself.

For most of last year, Junho ①refresh his social media feed constantly, terrified of missing a party, a trending meme, or gossip among his friends. This restless anxiety, ②often called FOMO, or the fear of missing out, left him exhausted and strangely unsatisfied even after hours of scrolling. One weekend, his phone battery died during a hiking trip, and, to his surprise, he actually ③enjoyed the quiet afternoon without notifications interrupting his thoughts. Curious about this unexpected calm, Junho began ④deleting social apps for a few hours each day, gradually extending the breaks as weeks passed. Instead of dreading what he might be missing, he started noticing small pleasures, such as finishing a book or ⑤having an uninterrupted conversation with his family.

When people discuss climate change, they often focus only on rising temperatures or melting ice, ①**treating** it as a purely scientific issue. However, the concept of climate justice reminds us that the causes and consequences of climate change are ②**distributed** unevenly across the globe. Wealthy, industrialized nations have historically released the largest share of greenhouse gases while building their economies, yet developing nations, ③**which contributed** comparatively little, frequently suffer the most severe droughts and floods. This gap between responsibility and suffering ④**raises** a serious ethical question that science alone cannot answer. For example, a farming community in a low-income country may lose its entire harvest to an unusual flood, even though its members have never owned a car or ⑤**flying** on a plane. Therefore, tackling climate change requires more than new technology; it demands fair policies supporting the very communities least responsible for causing the crisis.

To compensate for their carbon emissions, many individuals and companies now ①purchases carbon offsets, financial credits that fund projects such as planting trees or building renewable energy plants. The idea is appealing: paying for an equivalent amount of carbon to be absorbed elsewhere should cancel out the harm caused by activities like flying. However, critics argue that this system often ②functions as a convenient excuse for postponing genuine emission cuts rather than achieving them. For example, a newly planted forest may take decades to absorb the promised carbon, and it could later ③burn down or be cut, erasing any benefit. Moreover, some offset projects would have happened anyway, meaning the credits fund nothing truly ④additional. Therefore, relying heavily on offsets allows businesses ⑤to maintain harmful practices while appearing responsible.

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. ①Frustrated, she asked her teacher why her willpower always failed, and learned about a concept called implementation intentions. This idea, developed by psychologists, means forming a ②specific if-then plan that links a certain situation to a certain action in advance. She also prepared a ③backup plan: if she felt too tired, then she would study for just ten minutes instead of skipping entirely. Because these plans ④removed the need to decide anything in the moment, starting became far easier for Minji. By December, she had studied for eleven straight months, proving that clear if-then plans ⑤complicated vague intentions.

When Minji was in ninth grade, she posted a joking comment ①praising a classmate's photo, never imagining anyone would remember it later. During the interview, however, one teacher mentioned having seen an old, ②unkind comment under Minji's name while reviewing applicants' profiles. ③Startled, Minji realized that everything she had ever posted online had quietly accumulated into what is called a digital footprint. Although she ④deleted the comment immediately, the damage to her reputation had already been done. She understood that digital footprints rarely disappear completely, because screenshots and memories often ⑤outlast the content itself.

Habit researchers often note that people overestimate the role of motivation in daily routines. (A) As a result, they frequently give up soon after starting, blaming themselves for lacking discipline. (B) In contrast, Fogg's framework suggests that shrinking the task itself is more effective than boosting motivation. (C) Because motivation naturally rises and falls, relying on it alone often leads to inconsistent effort.

Emotions can spread from one person to another without a single word being spoken face to face. (A) For example, a cheerful comment posted early in a thread often encourages later commenters to write in a similarly positive tone. (B) Recently, however, psychologists have found that this same spreading effect happens even online, through text and images alone. (C) This means that a single post can shape the emotional tone of an entire online conversation.

Behavioral economists have long studied how small changes in choice environments affect human decisions. (A) Imagine a cafeteria where a healthy salad sits at eye level while fried snacks rest on a low shelf. Nobody is forbidden from choosing the snacks, yet most people quietly pick the salad instead. This simple technique illustrates a nudge, a concept from behavioral economics that gently guides people toward better choices without restricting their freedom. (B) Unlike strict regulations or heavy taxes, nudges rely on subtle changes in design rather than force. Critics argue nudges alone cannot solve large environmental problems, but combined with stronger policies, they can meaningfully shift everyday habits toward sustainability. (C) Companies and governments increasingly apply nudges to encourage sustainable consumption. For example, some hotels print reminders on towels stating that most guests reuse them, which persuades new guests to do the same and save water. Similarly, energy bills that compare a household's usage with that of efficient neighbors often lead people to reduce electricity use.