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, people throw away piles of ①used paper without thinking about where it goes. However, most of that paper does not have to end up in a landfill. Instead, it can travel to a recycling factory and become brand new paper again. First, workers collect old newspapers, boxes, and notebooks left in recycling bins. These papers are then soaked in water and turned into ②hard, mushy pulp. You can think of this process like breaking a cookie back into flour and water. For example, ink and small pieces of plastic are ③removed from the pulp during this stage. The ④clean pulp is pressed into thin sheets and dried in large machines. Therefore, a wrinkled old newspaper can be ⑤reborn as clean white paper. In contrast to throwing paper away, recycling it saves trees and reduces waste.

Blue, for instance, is frequently used by financial and technology companies because it tends to evoke feelings of ①trust and stability. Green typically signals ②freshness or environmental responsibility, making it a popular choice for organic food brands. Despite these general patterns, cultural context matters significantly, since a color that suggests luck in one country might suggest ③mourning in another. Marketers who ④ignore these cultural differences risk sending ⑤intended messages to international audiences. For this reason, companies expanding into new markets often conduct extensive research before finalizing a logo's color scheme.

Carbon neutrality refers to a state in which the amount of greenhouse gases a country or company releases into the atmosphere is balanced by the amount it removes, resulting in zero net emissions. Achieving this goal typically requires several sequential stages rather than a single sudden action. First, organizations attempt to reduce emissions directly by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power. Next, they improve efficiency throughout their operations, minimizing the energy wasted during production and transportation. Only after these direct measures have been maximized do most organizations turn to _______________. Critics argue, however, that some companies exploit offsetting too early, using it to avoid making genuine reductions. Therefore, experts insist that a credible roadmap must always prioritize actual emission cuts before relying on compensation.

Jimin joined the school band club in March, but she had never performed before an audience. The club's first concert was only two weeks away, and everyone felt nervous. During practice, her hands shook whenever the song reached the chorus, and she kept missing the same chord. Instead of laughing at her mistakes, the other members waited patiently and played the section again with her. The drummer, Suho, suggested that she focus on just one part at a time. Slowly, her fingers grew more confident, and the chord that once felt impossible began to feel natural. The club practiced until the melody sounded smooth the night before the concert. When Jimin walked onto the stage, she thought of her friends' patience instead of her fear. The audience clapped warmly, and she realized _______________________.

Choice architecture refers to how decisions are designed. It determines which option is automatically selected unless a person chooses otherwise, known as the default option. Research consistently shows that ___________, even when changing it takes only seconds. Organ donation is a well-known example. Countries where citizens are automatically registered as donors unless they opt out show much higher donation rates than opt-in countries. Retirement savings programs show a similar pattern, since employees automatically enrolled in a pension plan rarely cancel it. Voluntary sign-ups, in contrast, often delay indefinitely. Critics argue that default options can be manipulated to benefit companies rather than individuals, so transparency about how defaults are chosen becomes essential. Still, supporters insist that because some default must always exist, it should support people's own long-term interests rather than mere institutional convenience.

Consider a large heap containing ten thousand grains of sand. (A) Something has clearly gone wrong along the way, since no reasonable person would call one grain of sand a heap, but pinpointing exactly which single removal transformed a heap into a non-heap seems impossible. (B) Nearly everyone agrees that removing a single grain from such a heap leaves another heap behind, since surely one grain could never make the difference between a heap and a non-heap. (C) Yet if this principle is applied repeatedly, grain by grain, the heap eventually shrinks to a single lonely grain, or even to no grains at all, and logic alone seems to force us to accept that this final result still counts as a heap.

Social proof does not operate uniformly; its influence intensifies under specific conditions. (A) It grows especially powerful, for instance, when the situation is ambiguous and individuals lack a clear, independent basis for judging the correct course of action. (B) Conversely, when a task offers unambiguous, verifiable evidence, individuals rely far less on the behavior of others, since they can evaluate the situation directly for themselves. (C) This contrast implies that social proof functions primarily as a substitute for missing information, stepping in precisely where individual certainty runs out.

The role of emotion in decision-making carries important implications for how financial advice should be delivered. (A) An advisor who presents only statistical projections and probability distributions, however accurate, may fail to help a client translate that information into a decision that feels manageable rather than overwhelming. (B) Effective financial communication, therefore, often pairs quantitative analysis with reassurance calibrated to the client's emotional state, particularly during periods of market turbulence. (C) Clients facing significant financial decisions are rarely persuaded by numbers alone, since anxiety about an uncertain outcome can override even a clear rational case for a particular course of action.

Yet the more she corrected them, the quieter the room became. Last month, our class began practicing for the school choir contest, but rehearsals quickly turned tense. ( ① ) Minji, who had the loudest voice, kept correcting other members in the middle of songs. ( ② ) Several students felt hurt and began skipping practice, saying it felt more like criticism than teamwork. Our music teacher noticed the empty seats and asked what was happening. ( ③ ) Minji explained that she only wanted the group to sound perfect. However, Junho said her tone made people afraid to sing at all. ( ④ ) After an awkward silence, Minji admitted she had never noticed how her words affected others. So the class tried something new: each member shared one compliment before rehearsal began. ( ⑤ ) Slowly, the tension faded and attendance returned to normal. On the day of the contest, the choir sang together with real confidence and earned second place.