영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Imagine a cafeteria where a healthy salad ①sits at eye level while fried snacks rest on a low shelf. Nobody is ②forbidden 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 ③guides people toward better choices without restricting their freedom. 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 ④persuade 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. Unlike strict regulations or heavy taxes, nudges ⑤rely 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.

Behavioral economists use the term temporal discounting to describe how people ①undervaluing future rewards simply because those rewards are not immediate. This tendency explains why a student might choose to watch videos tonight rather than study for an exam that remains several weeks away, even though studying ②offers a far greater long-term benefit. A distant reward, no matter how valuable, feels psychologically smaller than a small reward ③available right now. This bias contributes to procrastination, since future consequences rarely feel urgent enough ④to motivate immediate action. To counter this tendency, students should convert distant goals into smaller, near-term milestones that feel more emotionally real. Setting weekly checkpoints rather than a final deadline can make future benefits feel closer and more concrete. Teachers and parents should provide immediate, meaningful feedback, since prompt recognition helps bridge the gap between present effort and delayed reward, ultimately ⑤reducing the urge to postpone tasks.

A smart thermostat that learns a family's daily rhythm can lower the temperature automatically before everyone wakes up cold, while smart lights ①that follow a resident's schedule no longer need to be switched on and off by hand. These small conveniences rest on a shared foundation: sensors collect data about temperature, motion, and light throughout the home, and an algorithm gradually learns ②which settings match each household's actual habits rather than a factory default. Over months of use, the system becomes noticeably better at ③anticipate needs, often adjusting settings moments before a resident would have reached for a switch. Yet convenience comes with a trade-off that many households ④overlook. Every one of these small adjustments depends on constant data collection, meaning that a detailed record of when people wake, leave, and return home is quietly ⑤being stored somewhere beyond their immediate control.

Instead of typing keywords into a search bar, a growing number of people now simply upload a photo and let an algorithm figure out what it contains. This process, known as reverse image search, compares the visual patterns in a picture against a massive database, identifying everything from a landmark in the background to the exact model of a pair of sneakers. Shoppers use it to find where an item seen on the street can be purchased, while students use it to ①identify plants, insects, or historical artworks in seconds. The system works by breaking an image down into countless small features, such as edges, colors, and shapes, then matching that pattern against millions of stored examples. It is ②flawless, however; a ③blurry photo, an unusual camera angle, or an object partly hidden behind another can easily ④confuse the algorithm, leading to search results that have ⑤nothing to do with the original picture at all.

Sociologist Mark Granovetter introduced an idea that seems contradictory at first glance, known as the strength of weak ties. According to this theory, people who see each other only occasionally, called weak ties, often provide more valuable information than close friends or family members, who are considered strong ties. This happens because strong ties tend to share the same social circles and, therefore, already possess similar knowledge. Weak ties, in contrast, move within different networks, which allows them to introduce ideas or opportunities that would otherwise remain unknown. For example, a former classmate rarely contacted might mention a job opening unavailable through one's immediate circle. Social media platforms have made maintaining such connections remarkably easier, letting users keep hundreds of loose acquaintances active without frequent face-to-face meetings. Consequently, these platforms _______________.

A small riverside village had endured severe flooding almost every summer, watching helplessly as rising water damaged homes and destroyed crops year after year. Frustrated residents eventually decided to _______________. Engineers widened the drainage canals surrounding the village, allowing excess rainwater to flow away more efficiently instead of pooling in low-lying streets. Meanwhile, several families whose houses stood in the most vulnerable areas relocated to higher ground, even though leaving their long-time homes was emotionally difficult. The village also installed an early warning system that sent alerts to residents' phones whenever river levels rose dangerously fast. When a powerful storm struck three years later, the new measures proved effective, and the village suffered only minor damage instead of the devastating losses it had previously faced. Their resilience became a model for neighboring communities.

Open a music streaming app on any given morning, and a personalized playlist is usually already waiting, assembled overnight from songs the algorithm predicts will match a listener's current mood. (A) Musicians, meanwhile, have mixed feelings about this shift, since a song the algorithm decides not to promote may struggle to reach listeners no matter how well it was written. (B) Listeners often praise the feature for introducing them to artists they never would have searched for on their own, effectively acting as a tireless music scout working around the clock. (C) This prediction relies on far more than genre alone; the system studies skip rates, replay counts, and even the time of day a song is typically played to build a detailed profile of individual taste.

Online reviews have transformed the way consumers evaluate products before buying them. (A) Unfortunately, some of these reviews are not genuine, having been written by paid promoters rather than actual customers. (B) Shoppers now trust the opinions of strangers online almost as much as recommendations from friends or family. (C) For this reason, several platforms have started using technology to detect and remove suspicious reviews automatically.

주어진 문장: In short, Fogg's model reminds us that ease of action, not sheer willpower, drives lasting behavior change. Many people believe that building a new habit requires strong willpower or motivation. ( ① ) However, psychologist BJ Fogg argues that habits form more easily when a behavior itself becomes simple to perform. ( ② ) His theory, called the Fogg Behavior Model, states that a behavior happens only when motivation, ability, and a prompt occur together. When motivation is low, the task must be made extremely easy, or it will not happen at all. ( ③ ) For instance, a person who wants to exercise daily succeeds more often by committing to one push-up than to a long workout. Fogg calls this idea the law of least effort, since people naturally choose the option requiring the least energy. ( ④ ) A student who wants to read more might leave a book open on the desk rather than setting a vague goal. By lowering the required effort, people reduce the ability barrier and make steady action far more achievable. ( ⑤ )

주어진 문장: In other words, the promised environmental benefit is far less certain than it first appears. To compensate for their carbon emissions, many individuals and companies now purchase carbon offsets, financial credits that fund projects such as planting trees or building renewable energy plants. ( ① ) 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. ( ② ) However, critics argue that this system often functions as a convenient excuse for postponing genuine emission cuts rather than achieving them. ( ③ ) For example, a newly planted forest may take decades to absorb the promised carbon, and it could later burn down or be cut, erasing any benefit. ( ④ ) Moreover, some offset projects would have happened anyway, meaning the credits fund nothing truly additional. ( ⑤ ) Therefore, relying heavily on offsets allows businesses to maintain harmful practices while appearing responsible. Experts insist that offsetting should complement, not replace, direct reductions in fossil fuel use if the strategy is to remain credible.