영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Building brand loyalty has traditionally been considered one of the most valuable goals in marketing, since loyal customers ①tend to spend more and recommend products to others. Companies invest significant resources in loyalty programs, ②offering points, discounts, and exclusive access to encourage repeat purchases. Genuine loyalty, critics contend, should be earned through consistent quality and honest treatment of customers, not through artificial incentives that merely ③delays a customer's departure. Furthermore, excessive focus on retaining existing customers can cause companies ④to neglect innovation, since they assume loyal buyers will continue purchasing regardless of improvements. Relying solely on loyalty programs without addressing underlying product quality may ultimately ⑤backfire.

Limited-edition products are goods that are released in small quantities for a ①short period of time. Many companies use this strategy because scarcity naturally ②decreases how much people desire an item. When consumers believe that a product will disappear soon, they often feel ③pressured to buy it immediately rather than wait. This excitement is ④intensified by social media, where people proudly share photos of items that others could not obtain. As a result, some shoppers later ⑤regret spending money on products they rarely use afterward.

Generation Z, typically defined as those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, approaches shopping quite differently from previous generations. Having grown up with smartphones and social media, they research products extensively online before making even small purchases. Unlike older generations, who often valued brand loyalty above all else, many members of Generation Z prioritize a company's values, switching brands easily if one no longer matches their beliefs. They also tend to favor secondhand and resale platforms, viewing sustainability as an important factor rather than an afterthought. Peer recommendations shared through short videos frequently carry more weight than traditional celebrity endorsements. Businesses that fail to adapt to these preferences risk losing an entire generation of potential customers. Consequently, many companies now ___________.

Retailers use a variety of techniques designed to encourage customers to make unplanned purchases. Placing small, inexpensive items near checkout counters, for example, tempts shoppers who are already waiting in line with little else to do. Online stores achieve a similar effect through countdown timers that create a false sense of urgency, suggesting that a deal will vanish within minutes. Bright colors, cheerful music, and pleasant scents are also carefully chosen to put customers in a relaxed mood, making them less likely to think critically about their spending. Critics argue that these tactics ___________. Supporters of the industry insist that such techniques merely make shopping more enjoyable and are not inherently deceptive.

Influencer marketing has become one of the most powerful tools that companies use to reach young consumers. Unlike traditional advertisements, which often feel distant and impersonal, posts created by influencers seem more like advice from a trusted friend. This sense of closeness, built through years of sharing daily life online, makes followers more willing to trust product recommendations than ordinary commercials. For example, a skincare brand promoted by a popular lifestyle influencer can sell out within hours simply because her audience believes her opinions are honest. However, this trust can be exploited when influencers promote products they have never actually tried. As a result, several countries now require influencers to clearly disclose paid partnerships before posting sponsored content. Consumers are becoming more cautious, checking whether reviews are sponsored before making a purchase. In the end, influencer marketing ___________.

Attitudes toward buying used goods have changed dramatically over the past decade. (A) As a result, secondhand shopping has shed much of the stigma it once carried among younger consumers. (B) In the past, purchasing used items was often seen as a sign of financial hardship rather than a deliberate choice. (C) Today, many young shoppers proudly describe their secondhand purchases as smart, sustainable decisions.

Online advertising has become increasingly personalized as algorithms analyze user behavior in real time. (A) Critics, however, warn that this precision can be used to exploit psychological weaknesses rather than genuinely help consumers. (B) Supporters claim that this precision benefits users by reducing the number of irrelevant advertisements they encounter. (C) Given these opposing views, many experts call for greater transparency about how such algorithms actually operate.

주어진 문장: This gap between expectation and reality is not caused by laziness, but by a predictable pattern in how people think about the future. The planning fallacy describes the tendency to underestimate how long a task will take, even when experience suggests otherwise. ( ① ) Psychologists who studied this bias found that people focus mainly on an idealized, best-case version of a project. They focus less on how similar projects actually unfolded before. ( ② ) A student who insists an essay takes two hours, despite needing five hours for every previous essay, shows a clear instance of the fallacy. ( ③ ) Large construction projects offer another example. Officials frequently predict completion dates that later prove far too optimistic once delays appear. ( ④ ) One reason this bias persists is that people rarely review their history of missed deadlines, relying instead on hopeful imagination. ( ⑤ ) Some researchers recommend a technique called reference class forecasting, comparing a new task to similar completed tasks. By anchoring predictions to real outcomes, planners can produce estimates that are considerably more accurate.

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.

주어진 문장: The sudden attention was overwhelming, but it also opened doors she had never imagined. Soojin started posting short cooking videos on her phone during her last year of high school, never imagining it could become a career. ( ① ) At first, only a handful of friends watched her clips, and she nearly quit after several months without noticeable growth. ( ② ) She kept experimenting, however, adjusting her editing style and posting more consistently despite the discouraging numbers. Everything changed when one video demonstrating a simple recipe unexpectedly reached millions of viewers overnight. ( ③ ) Brands began contacting her, offering payment in exchange for featuring their products in future videos. ( ④ ) Within a year, Soojin was earning more from her online content than most entry-level jobs would have paid her. ( ⑤ ) Still, she quickly learned that being a creator demanded constant work, since algorithms rewarded frequent uploads and audiences expected fresh content daily.