영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

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.

Mira had lived in a coastal village since birth, ①watching the tide creep closer to her family's doorstep every year. When the sea finally swallowed the rice paddies that ②had fed her village for generations, her parents decided that staying was no longer possible. Together with many neighbors, they packed what little they could carry and moved inland, becoming what experts now ③calls climate migrants, people forced to abandon their homes because of rising seas, droughts, or other disasters. This term, rarely used a decade ago, has become increasingly common as extreme weather ④displaces communities worldwide. Mira missed her old house terribly, yet she slowly began to build a new life in the crowded city, learning to adapt just as her ancestors once had. International organizations, however, still struggle to agree on how ⑤to protect people like her, since climate migrants are not officially recognized as refugees under current law.

A flexitarian is someone who mainly eats plant-based meals but occasionally includes meat or fish, unlike a ①strict vegetarian who avoids animal products entirely. This flexible diet has recently ②lost attention as a practical way to fight climate change, since raising livestock produces a ③significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cattle, in particular, release large amounts of methane, a gas far more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. By replacing just a few meat-based meals each week with vegetables, grains, or legumes, individuals can ④noticeably shrink their carbon footprint without giving up meat completely. Nutritionists also emphasize that flexitarian eating is easier to maintain than full vegetarianism, because it allows flexibility rather than demanding absolute discipline. Therefore, many environmental groups now promote flexitarianism as a ⑤realistic first step, believing that gradual change, rather than sudden restriction, is more likely to spread widely across society.

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.

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 _______________. 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. 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.

In recent years, mental health experts have identified a distinct emotional response to environmental crisis, commonly called eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety describes persistent worry, grief, or fear triggered by awareness of climate change and its consequences for the future. Although people of all ages can experience it, teenagers and young adults seem especially vulnerable, since they anticipate living through decades of worsening conditions. Common symptoms include difficulty sleeping, a sense of hopelessness, and guilt over ordinary choices such as travel or diet. For example, some students report feeling paralyzed whenever they read alarming climate news, unable to focus on schoolwork or hobbies. However, experts emphasize that eco-anxiety is not a disorder to be eliminated but a natural reaction that can be channeled productively. Rather than avoiding the topic, young people are _______________.

Climate change is often described as a challenge that affects the entire planet equally, yet a closer look reveals a more complicated picture. (A) Wealthy, industrialized nations have historically released the largest share of greenhouse gases while building their economies, yet developing nations, which contributed comparatively little, frequently suffer the most severe droughts and floods. This gap between responsibility and suffering raises a serious ethical question that science alone cannot answer. (B) However, the concept of climate justice reminds us that the causes and consequences of climate change are distributed unevenly across the globe. (C) 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 flown 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.

Consumers today are bombarded with eco-friendly slogans on almost every product they buy. (A) Behind many of these slogans, however, lies a deceptive practice called greenwashing, in which companies exaggerate their environmental efforts without making real changes. (B) Consumers can avoid being fooled by such tactics by checking for recognized certifications and transparent, independently verified reports rather than trusting catchy labels alone. (C) For instance, a firm may highlight one eco-friendly product line while its factories continue to pollute rivers and emit large amounts of carbon.

Climate change deniers often seem to ignore evidence that contradicts their views, and psychologists have a specific explanation for this behavior. (A) For example, someone whose job depends on fossil fuels may search for reasons to doubt the data, even while insisting that they respect science. (B) This concept, called motivated reasoning, describes how people process information in ways that protect their existing beliefs and lifestyles rather than pursue objective truth. (C) Rather than being a simple failure of intelligence, this pattern reflects a well-documented psychological tendency studied for decades.

Whenever a user marks a message as spam or rescues a message mistakenly filtered out, that action becomes new training data, sharpening the filter's future decisions. Every day, email providers quietly block billions of unwanted messages before they ever reach a user's inbox, a task that would be impossible without an AI filtering system running constantly in the background. ( ① ) The filter examines each incoming message for suspicious patterns, including certain keywords, unusual sender addresses, and formatting tricks that scammers commonly rely on to slip past detection. ( ② ) What makes the system effective is that it keeps learning after launch. ( ③ ) This creates a constant back-and-forth, since spammers study which messages get blocked and then adjust their wording to slip through again. ( ④ ) As a result, spam filtering is less like a fixed wall and more like an ongoing contest, with each side continuously adapting to outsmart the other. ( ⑤ )