영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

An echo chamber refers to an online environment where people are mainly ①exposed to opinions that already match their own beliefs. This phenomenon occurs because social media algorithms tend to ②recommending content similar to what users have previously liked or shared, gradually narrowing the range of perspectives they encounter. As a result, individuals inside an echo chamber rarely engage with viewpoints ③that 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 unreasonable, ④having never seriously considered its arguments. Political polarization, a significant issue in many countries today, is often ⑤linked to this pattern of selective exposure.

Many people believe that building a new habit requires strong willpower or motivation. However, psychologist BJ Fogg argues that habits form more ①easily when a behavior itself becomes simple to perform. His theory, called the Fogg Behavior Model, states that a behavior happens only when motivation, ability, and a prompt occur together. When motivation is ②low, the model suggests, the task must be made extremely ③difficult, or it will not happen at all. For instance, a person who wants to exercise daily succeeds more often by committing to one push-up than to a long workout. Fogg calls this idea the law of ④least effort, since people naturally choose the option requiring the least energy. A student who wants to read more might leave a book open on the desk rather than setting a vague goal. By lowering the required effort, people reduce the ability barrier and make steady action far more ⑤achievable.

Anthropologist Robin Dunbar proposed a concept now known as Dunbar's number, suggesting that human beings can only maintain about one hundred fifty stable social relationships at any given time. This limit, he argued, comes from the size of the human brain, which restricts how many meaningful connections a person can cognitively manage. In contrast, many social media users today have hundreds or even thousands of online friends and followers, a number far exceeding what Dunbar's research predicts. However, having numerous digital contacts does not necessarily mean that all of these relationships are close or emotionally supportive. Most users, when asked, admit that they interact regularly with only a small fraction of their total followers, while the rest remain largely unnoticed. Therefore, Dunbar's number reminds us that ___________.

Jian wanted to become a reader for years, but every time he picked up a thick novel, he felt overwhelmed and quickly closed it. His cousin, who had read dozens of books that year, told him about something called the two-minute rule. This rule states that a new habit should be shrunk to under two minutes, since a smaller starting point ___________. Instead of committing to a full chapter each night, Jian promised himself only to open a book and read one page.

Psychologists have long studied a mechanism called the variable reward schedule, in which rewards arrive unpredictably rather than after every single action. Slot machines famously exploit this principle, and social media notifications operate on strikingly similar logic. When someone posts a photo, they cannot predict exactly when likes will appear, nor how many they will eventually receive. This uncertainty triggers a small burst of dopamine each time the phone is checked, regardless of whether the result is disappointing or thrilling. Consequently, users often refresh their feeds compulsively, hoping the next check will finally bring a satisfying reward. What makes this troubling is that technology companies deliberately designed notification systems using insights borrowed from gambling research, rather than stumbling upon them by accident. Such practices raise serious ethical questions about manipulating users' brains for profit. Therefore, people must _______________.

Social psychologists describe a phenomenon called the bystander effect, in which individuals become less likely to help a victim as the number of witnesses increases. Each observer assumes someone else will step in, and this diffusion of responsibility leaves no one willing to act. Cyberbullying magnifies this problem, since a single humiliating post can be witnessed by thousands of people scattered across the internet rather than a few standing nearby. Anonymity intensifies the effect further, allowing silent observers to scroll past cruel comments without feeling accountable for their inaction. Some bystanders even worry that intervening publicly might make them the bully's next target, so they choose to remain silent instead. However, silence signals approval to both the bully and the audience watching the exchange unfold. Experts insist that even a single supportive comment can disrupt this harmful pattern. Therefore, witnesses online must _______________.

Job seekers often assume that their closest friends will be the most helpful source of career advice. (A) In fact, studies show that a surprising number of job offers come through acquaintances met only briefly at conferences or previous workplaces. (B) However, close friends usually work in the same field or social circle, so their knowledge of new openings tends to overlap with what the job seeker already knows. (C) This is because such acquaintances belong to different professional circles, giving them access to information that never reaches close friends.

Understanding the perfectionism-procrastination cycle can help students break free from a frustrating pattern of delay. (A) This fear does not mean perfectionists lack motivation; rather, it pushes them to delay the task in order to avoid confronting their own high standards. (B) As a result, many perfectionists end up completing work at the last possible moment, which paradoxically increases the likelihood of the very mistakes they feared. (C) When someone holds unrealistic expectations for a task, the fear of falling short often becomes so intense that starting the task itself feels dangerous.

주어진 문장: She had rehearsed exactly what she would say the moment their eyes finally met. Minji spent nearly every evening watching Jimin, an online creator who streamed cooking videos and chatted casually with her viewers. ( ① ) Over several months, Minji began to feel as though she truly knew Jimin, laughing at her jokes and worrying whenever she mentioned having a difficult week. ( ② ) Whenever Jimin responded to a comment, even a simple one, Minji felt a small thrill of connection, as if they were becoming closer friends. ( ③ ) One day, Minji excitedly waited outside a fan event, hoping that Jimin would recognize her from the countless messages she had sent. ( ④ ) However, Jimin greeted her the same way she greeted every other stranger in line, without any hint of personal recognition. ( ⑤ ) Standing there, Minji slowly realized that the bond she had imagined was entirely one-sided, existing only in her own mind. This type of connection, known as a parasocial relationship, can feel remarkably real despite never being mutual.

주어진 문장: Not everyone, however, feels this financial burden equally, since household circumstances vary widely. The term green premium describes the extra cost that consumers must pay when they choose an environmentally friendly product or energy source over a conventional, cheaper alternative. ( ① ) For example, an electric vehicle or solar-powered appliance often carries a higher price tag than its gasoline-powered or coal-based counterpart, even though it produces fewer emissions over time. ( ② ) This price gap frequently discourages shoppers who support sustainability in principle but cannot justify the additional expense within a limited household budget. ( ③ ) In contrast, wealthier consumers can absorb the premium more easily, which creates unequal participation in green markets. ( ④ ) To narrow this gap, governments have introduced subsidies and tax credits that lower upfront costs, while companies invest in research to make clean technologies cheaper to manufacture. ( ⑤ ) As production scales up and innovation continues, many economists expect the green premium to shrink steadily, eventually making sustainable choices the more affordable option for most consumers.