영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Limited-edition products are goods that ①are released in small quantities for a short period of time. Many companies use this strategy because scarcity naturally ②increases how much people desire an item. For instance, a sneaker company that releases only a few thousand pairs of a special design can generate long lines outside stores overnight, ③drawing attention from collectors worldwide. However, this psychological pressure can lead to purchases that ④are driven by fear rather than genuine need. Marketers, aware of this pattern, ⑤continues to design new limited releases because urgency reliably drives sales.

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.

A documentary director named Mira first traveled to a remote Arctic glacier to film its towering cliffs of blue ice, which seemed frozen in time. Standing before the ①<u>massive</u> wall, she assumed such an enormous structure could hardly change within a lifetime. Five years later, however, she returned to the very same coordinates, expecting her camera to capture an identical scene. Instead, she discovered that the glacier had ②<u>retreated</u> so dramatically that the ice cliffs, once visible from her original position, had nearly ③<u>disappeared</u>, leaving bare rock and pools of meltwater behind. Comparing the two sets of footage side by side, Mira realized that a transformation she had expected to take centuries was actually happening within a single decade. This encounter convinced her that climate change, which she had previously regarded as a ⑤<u>distant</u> statistic, was in fact a ④<u>trivial</u> process reshaping landscapes before her eyes.

A flexitarian is someone who mainly eats plant-based meals but occasionally includes meat or fish, unlike a strict vegetarian who avoids animal products entirely. This flexible diet has recently gained attention as a practical way to fight climate change, since raising livestock produces a significant 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 noticeably 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 realistic first step, believing that _______________.

On a summer evening, downtown streets often feel noticeably hotter than nearby parks or suburban neighborhoods, even after the sun has set. This phenomenon, known as the urban heat island effect, occurs when _______________. Unlike soil or vegetation, which absorb and release heat gradually, 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 abundant 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 expanding public parks, hoping that additional greenery will absorb less heat than pavement does.

A small riverside village had endured severe flooding almost every summer, watching helplessly as rising water damaged homes and destroyed crops year after year. Frustrated residents eventually decided to _______________. Engineers widened the drainage canals surrounding the village, allowing excess rainwater to flow away more efficiently instead of pooling in low-lying streets. Meanwhile, several families whose houses stood in the most vulnerable areas relocated to higher ground, even though leaving their long-time homes was emotionally difficult. The village also installed an early warning system that sent alerts to residents' phones whenever river levels rose dangerously fast. When a powerful storm struck three years later, the new measures proved effective, and the village suffered only minor damage instead of the devastating losses it had previously faced. Their resilience became a model for neighboring communities.

Advertisers rely on a range of psychological strategies to shape how consumers perceive their products. (A) One especially common strategy involves showing large crowds of satisfied customers, implying that popularity equals quality. (B) These strategies work most effectively when viewers remain unaware that they are being persuaded at all. (C) For this reason, teaching people to recognize such techniques can reduce their persuasive power significantly.

As climate change accelerates, investors around the world are paying closer attention to how companies affect the environment and society. (A) Recently, however, many corporations have learned to boost their ESG scores without genuinely transforming their operations. Some firms publish glossy reports filled with impressive statistics while their actual carbon emissions barely decline, exploiting the fact that ESG evaluation systems still lack consistent global standards. (B) ESG management refers to a company's efforts to consider Environmental, Social, and Governance factors alongside profit when making business decisions. Investors increasingly rely on ESG ratings to judge whether a company is managed responsibly and sustainably over the long term. (C) This gap between appearance and substance has led critics to demand stricter, more transparent criteria for measuring corporate responsibility. Genuine ESG management, in contrast, requires measurable targets, independent audits, and long-term accountability rather than one-time donations or attractive slogans. Investors who wish to identify truly responsible companies should therefore examine detailed disclosures instead of trusting labels alone.

Not all environmental changes happen at the same steady pace. (A) A well-known example involves melting Arctic ice, which exposes darker ocean water that absorbs more sunlight and speeds up further melting in a self-reinforcing cycle. (B) Once this kind of threshold is crossed, reversing the damage becomes extremely difficult, which is why scientists consider identifying these points an urgent priority. (C) Some changes accumulate slowly and predictably, while others can suddenly accelerate once a critical threshold, known as a tipping point, is crossed.

Emotions can spread from one person to another without a single word being spoken face to face. (A) For example, a cheerful comment posted early in a thread often encourages later commenters to write in a similarly positive tone. (B) Recently, however, psychologists have found that this same spreading effect happens even online, through text and images alone. (C) This means that a single post can shape the emotional tone of an entire online conversation.