영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Soyeon joined an online study group chat where dozens of students ①planned a class project together every evening. When one member suggested ②skip a required survey step to save time, several others quickly agreed, and no one raised any objections. Soyeon privately worried that skipping the survey might ③weaken their project, but seeing everyone else nodding along, she stayed silent rather than risk sounding difficult. The group proceeded confidently, convinced their shortcut was harmless, until their teacher ④pointed out serious gaps once the project was submitted. She realized that the chat's friendly, unified atmosphere had actually ⑤discouraged critical thinking, making poor decisions feel completely normal at the time.

Psychologist Leon Festinger introduced social comparison theory, which ①explains that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves with others. According to this theory, individuals engage in upward comparison when they measure themselves against someone ②who appears more successful, attractive, or accomplished. Social media platforms, filled with carefully edited photos and exaggerated achievements, ③provide endless opportunities for this kind of comparison. For instance, a teenager browsing vacation pictures posted by classmates may begin to feel that her own ordinary life ④are somehow inadequate. Unlike comparing oneself with someone in a similar position, which can sometimes boost confidence, upward comparison frequently ⑤triggers envy, dissatisfaction, and lower self-esteem.

Have you ever noticed that an unfinished task ①keeps returning to your mind long after you stopped working? This phenomenon was first noticed by psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, who saw ②that waiters remembered unpaid orders better than paid ones. Her observation led to what is now called the Zeigarnik effect: people remember incomplete tasks more vividly than ③completed ones. According to this theory, the mind maintains mental tension until a task reaches closure, ④keeping the unfinished task active in memory. Once the task is completed, the tension is released, and the mind ⑤let go of the details.

Soojin started posting short cooking videos on her phone during her last year of high school, never imagining it could become a career. At first, only a handful of friends watched her clips, and she nearly ①quit after several months without noticeable growth. She kept experimenting, however, adjusting her editing style and posting more ②consistently despite the discouraging numbers. Everything changed when one video demonstrating a simple recipe unexpectedly reached millions of viewers overnight. Within a year, Soojin was earning ③more from her online content than most entry-level jobs would have paid her. Still, she quickly learned that being a creator demanded ④minimal work, since algorithms rewarded frequent uploads and audiences expected fresh content daily. Looking back, Soojin realizes that persistence, rather than luck alone, transformed her hobby into a ⑤demanding profession.

The gig economy has grown ①rapidly over the past decade, as digital platforms connect customers directly with independent workers. This model offers clear advantages: workers can choose when and how much they work, providing valuable ②rigidity that traditional employment rarely allows. However, gig workers often ③lack benefits such as health insurance and paid leave, which full-time employees typically receive. Because their income can ④fluctuate sharply from month to month, many gig workers struggle to plan their finances confidently. Governments therefore face growing pressure to ⑤protect independent workers through new policies.

The metaverse, a network of interconnected virtual worlds, has begun to generate job opportunities that did not exist just a few years ago. Meanwhile, virtual event planners organize concerts, conferences, and product launches entirely within online platforms, reaching audiences that would be impossible to gather in person. Some analysts, however, ___________, noting that the metaverse has not yet attracted the massive user base that early predictions promised. Nevertheless, major companies continue investing heavily in this technology.

When Mina graduated from college five years ago, she had never even heard the term "data scientist." Everything changed when a small tech startup, which was building an app to predict traffic patterns, hired her to analyze massive amounts of data. Mina quickly discovered that she loved turning raw numbers into insights that helped real people make better decisions. Within two years, ___________, as companies in every industry realized how valuable data could be. Today, Mina leads a team of ten analysts, mentoring young graduates who are drawn to a field that barely existed when she began her own career.

Companies have discovered that ordinary advertisements no longer capture the attention of young consumers as effectively as they once did. (A) As a result, many brands now spend a large portion of their advertising budgets on influencer partnerships rather than television commercials. (B) This is because influencers build long-term relationships with their audiences, which makes recommendations feel personal rather than commercial. (C) However, brands must choose their partners carefully, since an influencer's reputation can directly affect how a product is perceived.

As artificial intelligence becomes more advanced, questions naturally arise about which human skills will remain irreplaceable. (A) A machine can recommend a treatment plan based on statistics, for example, but it cannot comfort a frightened patient the way a compassionate nurse can. (B) For this reason, educators are placing growing emphasis on skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. (C) Research suggests that AI still struggles with tasks requiring genuine empathy, ethical judgment, and creative problem-solving in unfamiliar situations.

In response, some platforms have begun inserting occasional wildcard suggestions that are deliberately unrelated to past viewing habits. After a viewer finishes an episode, a streaming service rarely leaves the choice of what to watch next entirely up to chance. ( ① ) Instead, a recommendation algorithm compares that viewer's habits with patterns drawn from millions of other users who watched similar content, then ranks thousands of titles in order of predicted interest. ( ② ) This approach keeps viewers engaged far longer than a simple list of new releases ever could, which is precisely why streaming companies invest so heavily in refining it. ( ③ ) The system is not without drawbacks, however. Because the algorithm favors titles similar to what a viewer already enjoys, it can quietly narrow someone's exposure to unfamiliar genres, directors, or cultures, creating a comfortable but repetitive bubble. ( ④ ) These wildcard picks are meant to counteract this narrowing effect and keep recommendations from becoming too predictable. ( ⑤ )