영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Many people struggling to fall asleep in noisy environments turn to white noise machines, devices that ①emit a steady, uniform sound covering a broad range of frequencies. The appeal lies in a phenomenon called auditory masking, in which a constant background sound makes sudden noises ②less noticeable to the sleeping brain. Without this masking effect, an abrupt change in sound is far more likely ③to trigger a brief awakening, even if the sleeper does not consciously remember it the next morning. Studies comparing sleep in quiet rooms with sleep alongside white noise have found that participants using white noise ④experienced fewer of these brief awakenings. However, researchers caution that the benefit depends heavily on volume and consistency, since noise that is too loud or that ⑤varying unpredictably can itself become a source of disruption rather than a remedy.

Open a music streaming app on any given morning, and a personalized playlist is usually already waiting, ①assembled overnight from songs the algorithm predicts will match a listener's current mood. 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 ②playing, building a remarkably detailed profile of individual taste. Listeners often praise the feature for ③introducing them to artists they never would have searched for on their own, effectively acting as a tireless music scout working around the clock. Musicians, meanwhile, have mixed feelings about this shift in how audiences ④discover new music. A song that the algorithm decides not to promote may struggle ⑤to reach listeners no matter how well it was written.

When people encounter ①solid scientific evidence about climate change, we might expect them to accept it without hesitation. However, many individuals still ②dismiss or downplay such evidence, and psychologists explain this pattern through a concept called motivated reasoning. Motivated reasoning refers to the tendency to process information in a way that protects one's existing beliefs, identity, or lifestyle rather than to pursue objective truth. For example, a person whose livelihood depends on the fossil fuel industry may ③unconsciously search for reasons to doubt climate data, even while claiming to value scientific accuracy. This happens because accepting uncomfortable facts can ④protect a person's sense of self or demand costly lifestyle changes. Therefore, simply presenting more data ⑤rarely persuades a committed skeptic. Instead, experts suggest connecting climate information to values the person already holds, such as family safety or economic stability, so that acceptance feels natural rather than threatening.

On a summer evening, downtown streets often feel ①noticeably hotter than nearby parks or suburban neighborhoods, even after the sun has set. This phenomenon, known as the urban heat island effect, occurs when cities ②retain more heat than surrounding rural areas because of their dense concentration of asphalt, concrete, and buildings. Unlike soil or vegetation, which absorb and release heat ③instantly, these man-made surfaces absorb sunlight during the day and slowly radiate it back at night, preventing temperatures from cooling. Tall buildings packed closely together also block wind, trapping warm air within narrow streets. In contrast, areas with ④abundant trees and open water naturally stay cooler, since plants release moisture that helps lower surrounding temperatures. To reduce this effect, many cities have begun installing rooftop gardens and ⑤expanding public parks, hoping that additional greenery will absorb less heat than pavement does.

In the days leading up to an endurance event, many athletes deliberately increase their carbohydrate intake while reducing training volume, a practice known as carbohydrate loading. The strategy is designed to maximize the amount of glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate, packed into muscle tissue before competition begins. Because glycogen serves as the primary fuel source during prolonged, intense exercise, _______________. Sports nutritionists caution, however, that the timing and composition of meals matter as much as the total quantity of carbohydrate consumed, since eating unfamiliar foods immediately before competition can cause digestive discomfort.

When people consistently sleep too little, the body's hormonal balance shifts in ways that can quietly encourage weight gain. Two hormones in particular play opposing roles in regulating appetite: leptin signals fullness to the brain, while ghrelin stimulates the sensation of hunger. Studies show that sleep deprivation lowers leptin levels while raising ghrelin levels, so _______________, even after a normal-sized meal. At the same time, insufficient sleep interferes with how efficiently the body processes glucose, making cells less responsive to insulin and leaving more sugar circulating in the bloodstream than usual. Over months or years, this combination of increased appetite and reduced insulin sensitivity can contribute to steady weight gain and raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Because these effects build up so gradually, many people never connect their shifting eating habits or worsening blood sugar to something as ordinary as a few lost hours of sleep each night.

Researchers who study teenagers have found a strong link between how well students sleep and how well they perform in school. (A) Students who sleep fewer than seven hours a night tend to score lower on tests of memory and attention than those who sleep eight or nine hours, even when the two groups study for the same number of hours. (B) One explanation is that sleep plays an active role in learning: during certain stages of sleep, the brain replays and strengthens information encountered during the day, converting fragile short-term memories into more durable long-term ones. (C) When sleep is cut short, this consolidation process is interrupted before it can finish, so material that seemed well understood the night before often feels unfamiliar the next morning. For this reason, some schools have begun rethinking early start times, reasoning that an extra hour of sleep might do more for test scores than an extra hour of studying ever could.

Team sports place athletes in a uniquely social form of competition, one where individual skill alone rarely determines the outcome of a match. (A) Sports psychologists have long studied why some groups of talented individual players fail to perform as a cohesive unit while other, less individually skilled teams consistently exceed expectations. (B) Trust among teammates appears to be a decisive factor, since players who believe their teammates will reliably fulfill their roles are more willing to take the calculated risks that winning often requires. (C) Clear and consistent communication during high-pressure moments further reduces the hesitation and confusion that can unravel a team's coordination in front of a crowd.

The convenience comes at a cost that few passengers consider, however. A navigation app calculating a route rarely relies on distance alone; instead, it constantly weighs real-time traffic reports, past congestion patterns for that time of day, and even data from other drivers' phones currently on the road. ( ① ) This flood of information allows the app to reroute a driver away from a sudden accident within seconds, often before the driver has any idea the accident occurred at all. ( ② ) When thousands of drivers are simultaneously redirected onto the same shortcut, that quiet side street can quickly become as congested as the highway it was meant to help travelers avoid. ( ③ ) Residents of these once-quiet neighborhoods have increasingly complained about the sudden surge of unfamiliar traffic. ( ④ ) They argue that an algorithm optimizing for individual convenience can end up creating a new, entirely different problem for the wider community. ( ⑤ )

주어진 문장: This small change in placement, researchers found, was enough to shift eating habits without anyone noticing. Imagine a cafeteria where a healthy salad sits at eye level while fried snacks rest on a low shelf. ( ① ) Nobody is forbidden from choosing the snacks, yet most people quietly pick the salad instead. ( ② ) This simple technique illustrates a nudge, a concept from behavioral economics that gently guides people toward better choices without restricting their freedom. ( ③ ) Companies and governments increasingly apply nudges to encourage sustainable consumption. ( ④ ) 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. ( ⑤ ) 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.