영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Psychologists who study daily behavior describe habits through a model ①called the cue-routine-reward loop. This theory explains that every habit begins with a cue, a signal that ②tell the brain to start an automatic behavior. The brain then performs a routine, ③which is the action itself, whether physical or mental. Finally, the brain receives a reward, a positive feeling that makes it want ④to repeat the same behavior. For example, a notification sound can act as a cue that leads a student to check a phone, and the relief from boredom becomes the reward. Similarly, opening a refrigerator out of habit rather than hunger shows how a routine can run without conscious thought. Because this loop operates automatically, breaking a bad habit requires changing the routine while keeping the same cue and reward. Understanding this structure helps people redesign daily patterns more effectively than ⑤relying on willpower alone.

The ecological footprint, a widely cited measure of how much biologically productive land and water a population requires to sustain its consumption, has become one of the most ①familiar tools for communicating humanity's environmental impact. By converting diverse activities, from driving to eating meat, into a single unit of land area, the measure allows policymakers to grasp whether a lifestyle exceeds what the planet can regenerate. This simplicity, however, is also the source of its most ②occasional criticism. Because the footprint aggregates dissimilar impacts, such as carbon emissions and water scarcity, into one composite figure, it can ③obscure important differences among problems that require distinct policy responses. A region might reduce its footprint by lowering carbon emissions while simultaneously depleting a local aquifer, yet the aggregate number could still appear to improve, ④concealing damage that demands urgent attention. Furthermore, the method assumes that all bio-productive land is roughly ⑤interchangeable, treating a hectare of forest as equivalent to a hectare of farmland, even though the two provide markedly different ecological functions.

The discovery of CRISPR gene-editing technology gave scientists a tool ①precise enough to correct a single mistaken letter in the human genome, raising hope for curing inherited diseases that have resisted treatment for generations. Yet the same precision that makes CRISPR so promising also makes it ②dangerous in the wrong hands. Editing a gene in a sperm, egg, or early embryo does not simply change one patient; it alters the genetic code passed down to every future generation, a decision no single person should be allowed to make ③alone. Scientific organizations around the world have therefore drawn a careful line, ⑤permitting gene editing to treat disease in existing patients while ④permitting any edit that would be inherited by their descendants. Critics worry, however, that as the technology becomes cheaper and more widely available, this line will become harder to enforce than it is to draw.

As artificial intelligence grows more capable of performing tasks once considered exclusively human, many people wonder which skills will remain valuable in the future. However, most researchers argue that AI still struggles with tasks requiring genuine empathy, ethical judgment, and creative problem-solving in unfamiliar situations. Similarly, AI can generate countless design variations, yet it lacks the lived experience that allows humans to judge which idea truly resonates with people. For this reason, educators increasingly emphasize skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, arguing that ___________.

Drinking enough water is especially important during the hot summer months. When you sweat a lot, your body loses not only water but also important minerals called electrolytes. If you do not replace these losses, ___________. Experts recommend drinking water regularly throughout the day, rather than waiting until you feel thirsty.

Communication scholar Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann proposed the spiral of silence theory to explain why certain opinions dominate public discussion while others fade into invisibility. According to this theory, individuals constantly observe their surrounding environment to judge which opinions are widely accepted and which are not. When people sense that their own view belongs to a minority, they often choose to stay silent rather than risk social isolation or criticism. This silence, however, creates a distorted impression that the minority opinion is even rarer than it actually is, discouraging additional supporters from speaking up. Over time, this cycle spirals downward, allowing the dominant opinion to appear increasingly unanimous while dissenting voices disappear from visible conversation. Social media platforms can intensify this spiral, since visibility metrics make popular opinions instantly noticeable while unpopular ones remain hidden. Consequently, some users _______________.

Behavioral economists have long studied how small changes in choice environments affect human decisions. (A) Imagine a cafeteria where a healthy salad sits at eye level while fried snacks rest on a low shelf. Nobody is forbidden from choosing the snacks, yet most people quietly pick the salad instead. This simple technique illustrates a nudge, a concept from behavioral economics that gently guides people toward better choices without restricting their freedom. (B) Unlike strict regulations or heavy taxes, nudges rely on subtle changes in design rather than force. Critics argue nudges alone cannot solve large environmental problems, but combined with stronger policies, they can meaningfully shift everyday habits toward sustainability. (C) Companies and governments increasingly apply nudges to encourage sustainable consumption. For example, some hotels print reminders on towels stating that most guests reuse them, which persuades new guests to do the same and save water. Similarly, energy bills that compare a household's usage with that of efficient neighbors often lead people to reduce electricity use.

This reveals an uncomfortable truth about the underlying business model itself. Social media platforms rarely show users a neutral stream of information. ( ① ) Instead, recommendation algorithms are optimized to maximize engagement, and content that provokes strong emotion tends to hold attention longer than balanced reporting ever could. ( ② ) Researchers describe this as a distorted mirror: the platform reflects not society as it truly is, but a version shaped by whatever keeps people scrolling. ( ③ ) Some platforms have experimented with reducing the visibility of outrage-driven content. ( ④ ) Yet these experiments consistently saw user engagement drop. ( ⑤ )

This admission, however, is precisely what the sunk cost fallacy makes so difficult to accept. Consider a construction firm that has spent several years and a substantial budget building a bridge, only to discover partway through that a cheaper and safer alternative route has since become available. ( ① ) A purely forward-looking analysis would compare the remaining cost of finishing the original bridge against the total cost of switching to the new route, ignoring whatever has already been spent. ( ② ) If the new route is genuinely cheaper going forward, the rational choice is to abandon the original project regardless of how much money it has already consumed. ( ③ ) Abandoning the project, however, requires the firm's leadership to publicly acknowledge that a significant portion of the original investment produced no lasting value. ( ④ ) As a result, firms often continue projects long after the numbers clearly favor stopping, simply to avoid confronting this uncomfortable truth. ( ⑤ ) The bridge, in such cases, becomes less a matter of engineering than a monument to the difficulty of admitting a costly mistake.

주어진 문장: Yet this same tendency also carries a hidden drawback. Sociologists use the term homophily to describe the tendency of people to form connections with others who share similar backgrounds, opinions, or interests. ( ① ) This principle explains why classmates from the same major often become close friends, while coworkers with shared hobbies naturally gravitate toward one another. ( ② ) Because similarity reduces the effort required to understand another person's perspective, relationships built on shared traits tend to feel comfortable and require less negotiation. ( ③ ) However, this same comfort can narrow the range of viewpoints someone encounters, since surrounding oneself with similar people limits exposure to different ideas. ( ④ ) Social media platforms intensify this pattern through recommendation algorithms that suggest new friends based on shared interests or similar browsing history. ( ⑤ ) As a result, users often find their online circles becoming increasingly homogeneous, filled with people who think and behave much like themselves.