영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Many students assume that perfectionists work harder than everyone else, but psychologists describe a puzzling pattern ①called the perfectionism-procrastination cycle. This term describes how an intense fear of imperfect work ②cause people to delay starting a task rather than begin it. Because perfectionists set impossibly high standards, they often feel anxious before they even begin, and the task feels ③overwhelming. They then postpone the work to avoid ④facing their own unrealistic expectations, even though delay only increases their stress later. For example, a student writing a research paper might spend hours reorganizing notes instead of composing a single sentence that ⑤feels good enough.

Time-management researchers frequently mention a principle known as Parkinson's Law, which states that work ①expands to fill the time available for its completion. According to this idea, a task that could be finished in one hour will often stretch to fill an entire afternoon if that much time is scheduled for it. Students who set ②vague deadlines frequently experience this effect, spending extra hours refining a report that was already ③complete. Employees given a full week for a simple project may also delay meaningful progress until the final days, even though the actual work requires far ④more effort. This pattern happens partly because people unconsciously adjust their pace to match perceived urgency. Setting shorter, more specific deadlines can ⑤counter this tendency, forcing tasks to fit within a tighter and more realistic window.

When Mina was a freshman, she often spent her allowance within a few days. Her older cousin told her about the marshmallow experiment, a famous study in which children could eat one marshmallow ①immediately or wait for two. Researchers found that children who waited ②longer showed better academic performance and self-control years later. This ability to ③resist an immediate reward in favor of a larger future one is known as delayed gratification. Inspired by the study, Mina began saving half of her allowance each week instead of spending it all on snacks. At first, resisting small purchases felt surprisingly ④easy, especially when her friends were eating out. After three months, however, she had ⑤saved enough to buy a bicycle she had wanted for over a year.

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

Sociologist Mark Granovetter introduced an idea that seems contradictory at first glance, known as the strength of weak ties. According to this theory, people who see each other only occasionally, called weak ties, often provide more valuable information than close friends or family members, who are considered strong ties. This happens because strong ties tend to share the same social circles and, therefore, already possess similar knowledge. Weak ties, in contrast, move within different networks, which allows them to introduce ideas or opportunities that would otherwise remain unknown. For example, a former classmate rarely contacted might mention a job opening unavailable through one's immediate circle. Social media platforms have made maintaining such connections remarkably easier, letting users keep hundreds of loose acquaintances active without frequent face-to-face meetings. Consequently, these platforms _______________.

Planning a multi-city trip once meant hours spent comparing flight schedules, reading hotel reviews, and mapping out which sights were close enough to visit in a single day. AI travel planners now compress much of that work into a short conversation, generating a full day-by-day itinerary within minutes. Many travelers appreciate having a solid starting point rather than a blank page. Still, seasoned travelers warn that _______________.

The rise of green jobs illustrates how environmental policy can reshape entire industries. (A) However, critics note that shifting from fossil fuel jobs to green jobs is not always straightforward, since the two require different sets of skills. (B) These positions, ranging from solar panel installation to energy-efficient building design, have grown especially fast in countries investing heavily in renewable energy. (C) To address this gap, governments are introducing training programs that help workers transition smoothly between industries.

Telemedicine has sparked debate among healthcare professionals about its proper role in modern medicine. (A) Critics counter that virtual visits cannot fully substitute for physical examinations, which remain essential for diagnosing certain conditions accurately. (B) Most experts, weighing both sides, conclude that telemedicine works best as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, traditional care. (C) Supporters point out that virtual visits save time and extend healthcare access to patients living far from hospitals.

Debates about remote work often focus on how it affects both individual employees and entire organizations. (A) For instance, several surveys show that remote employees report higher job satisfaction and fewer sick days than office-based workers. (B) On the other hand, managers point out that spontaneous conversations, which often spark new ideas, rarely happen when everyone works separately. (C) Some studies highlight clear benefits for workers, showing that flexible schedules reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

Because this feedback loop relies entirely on light rather than on the clock on the wall, melatonin release can shift dramatically when a person travels across time zones or works through the night. Melatonin is a hormone produced by a small gland deep within the brain, and its release follows a remarkably predictable daily pattern. ( ① ) Levels stay low throughout the bright hours of the day, begin rising in the evening as darkness falls, peak in the middle of the night, and then decline again as morning approaches. ( ② ) This rhythm is controlled primarily by light: specialized cells in the eye detect brightness and send signals that either permit or suppress melatonin production, which is why exposure to bright screens late at night can delay its release and make falling asleep more difficult. ( ③ ) Unlike some hormones that directly cause the body to perform a task, melatonin does not force sleep to occur; instead, it signals to the rest of the body that night has arrived, preparing various systems to shift into a lower-energy state. ( ④ ) Because of this signaling role, taking melatonin supplements at the wrong time can shift a person's internal clock in the opposite direction from what was intended. ( ⑤ )