영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Psychologist Leon Festinger introduced social comparison theory, which ①explains that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves with others. According to this theory, individuals engage in upward comparison when they measure themselves against someone ②who appears more successful, attractive, or accomplished. Social media platforms, filled with carefully edited photos and exaggerated achievements, ③provide endless opportunities for this kind of comparison. For instance, a teenager browsing vacation pictures posted by classmates may begin to feel that her own ordinary life ④are somehow inadequate. Unlike comparing oneself with someone in a similar position, which can sometimes boost confidence, upward comparison frequently ⑤triggers envy, dissatisfaction, and lower self-esteem.

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

Many companies now advertise themselves as environmentally responsible, yet a growing number of these claims ①turn out to be misleading. This practice, known as greenwashing, ②occurs when a business spends more effort marketing its products as eco-friendly than actually reducing environmental harm. A company might launch a recycled-packaging line while ③continuing to pollute rivers through its main factories, creating a false impression of genuine change. Such tactics deceive well-intentioned consumers who wish to shop responsibly but ④lacks the tools to verify corporate claims. In contrast, truly sustainable businesses publish detailed, independently verified data about their emissions and supply chains, ⑤allowing outsiders to check their progress.

A flexitarian is someone who mainly ①eating 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 ②produces 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 ③trapping 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 ④allows flexibility rather than demanding absolute discipline. Therefore, many environmental groups now promote flexitarianism as a realistic first step, ⑤believing that gradual change, rather than sudden restriction, is more likely to spread widely across society.

Researchers who ① study teenagers have found a strong link between how well students sleep and how well they perform in school. Students who sleep fewer than seven hours a night tend to score lower on tests of memory and attention than those who ② sleep eight or nine hours, even when the two groups study for the same number of hours. One explanation is that sleep plays an active role in learning: during certain stages of sleep, the brain replays and strengthens information ③ encountered during the day, converting fragile short-term memories into more durable long-term ones. When sleep is cut short, this consolidation process is interrupted before it can finish, so material that seemed well understood the night before often ④ feel 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 ⑤ could.

To ①compensate for their carbon emissions, many individuals and companies now purchase carbon offsets, financial credits that fund projects such as planting trees or building renewable energy plants. The idea is ②unappealing: 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 functions as a convenient excuse for postponing ③genuine emission cuts rather than achieving them. For example, a newly planted forest may take decades to absorb the promised carbon, and it could later burn down or be cut, erasing any benefit. Moreover, some offset projects would have happened anyway, meaning the credits fund nothing truly ④additional. Experts insist that offsetting should complement, not replace, direct reductions in fossil fuel use if the strategy is to remain ⑤credible.

Climate scientists frequently warn about tipping points, _______________. Unlike gradual warming, which unfolds steadily over decades, crossing a tipping point can produce dramatic consequences within a short period. For instance, as Arctic ice melts, it exposes darker ocean water that absorbs more sunlight than reflective ice, accelerating further melting in a self-reinforcing cycle. Similarly, scientists worry that a major ocean current, which currently redistributes heat across the planet, could slow dramatically if enough freshwater from melting glaciers dilutes the surrounding seawater. Once such thresholds are crossed, restoring the original balance may become nearly impossible, even if emissions are later reduced. Therefore, researchers argue that preventing these transitions matters more than merely slowing average temperature increases. Identifying how close each system stands to its threshold remains one of the most urgent challenges in climate research.

Mira had lived in a coastal village since birth, watching the tide creep closer to her family's doorstep every year. When the sea finally swallowed the rice paddies that had 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 call climate migrants, _______________. This term, rarely used a decade ago, has become increasingly common as extreme weather displaces 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 to protect people like her, since climate migrants are not officially recognized as refugees under current law.

Goal-setting theory has influenced not only classrooms but also workplaces around the world. (A) Many companies now train managers to set specific quarterly targets rather than simply asking employees to 'do their best.' (B) As a result, employees often report clearer priorities and a stronger sense of accomplishment. (C) These targets typically include measurable numbers, such as sales figures or project deadlines.

The answer, it turns out, has less to do with raw talent than with the invisible bonds that connect teammates to one another. Team sports place athletes in a uniquely social form of competition, one where individual skill alone rarely determines the outcome of a match. ( ① ) 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. ( ② ) 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, such as passing to an open player instead of attempting a low-percentage shot alone. ( ③ ) 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. ( ④ ) Interestingly, researchers have found that teams which deliberately build informal social bonds off the field, not merely through structured practice, tend to display better on-field cohesion. ( ⑤ )