영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Time-management researchers frequently mention a principle ①known as Parkinson's Law, which states that work expands 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 ②is scheduled for it. Students who set vague deadlines frequently experience this effect, spending extra hours ③refined a report that was already complete. Employees given a full week for a simple project may also delay meaningful progress until the final days, even though the actual work ④requires far less effort. This pattern happens partly because people unconsciously adjust their pace to match perceived urgency. Setting shorter, more specific deadlines can counter this tendency, forcing tasks to fit within a tighter and more realistic window. By recognizing how flexible time encourages unnecessary delay, individuals can complete assignments more efficiently ⑤without sacrificing quality.

These platforms allow individuals to sell clothing, electronics, and furniture directly to other consumers, cutting out traditional retail markups entirely. For younger buyers especially, purchasing secondhand items has become associated with ①resourcefulness rather than financial necessity. However, buying secondhand carries certain ②risks, since items cannot always be inspected closely before purchase, and some sellers misrepresent the condition of their products. To address this problem, many platforms now offer buyer protection programs and ③vague rating systems for sellers. As ④trust in these systems continues to grow, secondhand trading is expected to ⑤expand even further in the coming years.

Years ago, a small shoe company struggled to compete with larger, well-funded rivals in the market. Its products were ①solid, but customers rarely ②remembered the brand after a single purchase. Sales slowly ③decreased as people felt they were supporting something meaningful rather than simply buying a product. Other companies noticed this shift and began crafting their own narratives, hoping to create similar ④emotional connections. Eventually, the founder realized that a compelling story, told honestly, could turn ordinary customers into ⑤loyal supporters.

An echo chamber refers to an online environment where people are mainly exposed to opinions that already ①match their own beliefs. This phenomenon occurs because social media algorithms tend to recommend content similar to what users have previously liked or shared, gradually ②narrowing the range of perspectives they encounter. As a result, individuals inside an echo chamber ③frequently engage with viewpoints that challenge their existing assumptions, which allows their original beliefs to grow increasingly extreme over time. For example, someone who frequently reads articles supporting one political party may begin to see the opposing party as entirely ④unreasonable, having never seriously considered its arguments. Political polarization, a significant issue in many countries today, is often linked to this pattern of ⑤selective exposure.

Fast fashion refers to cheap, trendy clothing produced quickly and replaced almost as fast as it is bought. Because these garments are designed to be worn only a few times, huge amounts of fabric end up in landfills every year, and the dyeing process pollutes rivers near factories. In contrast, a growing number of brands are turning toward the circular economy, _______________. For example, some companies collect old clothes, break down the fibers, and weave them into new fabric, while others let customers rent outfits for special occasions rather than buying garments they will barely wear. These approaches keep resources circulating within the system longer, reducing demand for raw materials. Therefore, shifting from a throwaway habit toward a circular one may be essential for making the fashion industry sustainable.

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 _______________.

Before making a purchase, most online shoppers now read reviews written by previous customers rather than relying solely on advertisements. These reviews, posted by people who have no financial connection to the seller, often seem more trustworthy than promotional claims. Research shows that products with a large number of positive reviews sell significantly more than those with few or no reviews at all. However, fake reviews written by paid writers or even automated programs have become a serious problem, undermining consumer trust. Platforms that fail to detect these fraudulent posts risk losing credibility with their users, who expect authentic opinions when making decisions. To address this issue, several review platforms have begun using artificial intelligence to identify suspicious patterns. Ultimately, the power of online reviews ___________.

Not all relationships that people form are equally close or meaningful. (A) Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist, argued that the human brain can only support about one hundred fifty stable relationships at once. (B) Consequently, most of the hundreds of online followers a person accumulates never become genuinely close acquaintances. (C) This cognitive limit applies regardless of how many friends or followers a person collects on social media.

Smart speakers have quietly become a fixture in many households, responding to spoken requests for weather updates, music, or kitchen timers. (A) Still, the technology remains far from perfect, since background noise, overlapping voices, or an unusual sentence structure can cause the assistant to misunderstand a simple request. (B) Because these assistants improve by learning from millions of interactions, they gradually become better at recognizing regional accents and casual phrasing that once confused them. (C) Behind this simple exchange lies a complex process: the device converts sound waves into text, interprets the meaning, and then generates a spoken reply, all within a second or two.

주어진 문장: Without independent verification, however, such labels can mean almost anything the company wants them to mean. Many companies today advertise their products as environmentally friendly, yet not all of these claims are accurate. ( ① ) This practice, known as greenwashing, involves exaggerating or fabricating a product's positive impact on the environment. ( ② ) Some brands print vague terms such as "natural" or "eco-conscious" on packaging without providing any evidence to support these labels. ( ③ ) Consumers, who are increasingly concerned about climate change, often trust such claims without questioning them closely. ( ④ ) As a result, they may pay higher prices for products that are no more sustainable than ordinary alternatives. ( ⑤ ) Therefore, governments should establish clear standards that require companies to prove their environmental claims with verifiable data.