영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Building brand loyalty has traditionally been considered one of the most valuable goals in marketing, since loyal customers ①tend to spend more and recommend products to others. Companies invest significant resources in loyalty programs, ②offering points, discounts, and exclusive access to encourage repeat purchases. Genuine loyalty, critics contend, should be earned through consistent quality and honest treatment of customers, not through artificial incentives that merely ③delays a customer's departure. Furthermore, excessive focus on retaining existing customers can cause companies ④to neglect innovation, since they assume loyal buyers will continue purchasing regardless of improvements. Relying solely on loyalty programs without addressing underlying product quality may ultimately ⑤backfire.

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.

Earthquakes strike without any warning, which is exactly why the seconds immediately after the shaking begins matter more than any other moment in an ①emergency. Many people instinctively want to run outside during a quake, imagining that open space is always ②more dangerous than a building, but this instinct can be dangerous, since falling glass, signs, and debris often cause more injuries near exits and windows than sturdy interior spaces do. Furniture that seems merely inconvenient during a fire drill, such as a heavy desk, becomes a ③lifesaving shield when the ceiling above begins to crack. After the shaking stops, experts warn that the greatest remaining danger is often a damaged structure rather than a second earthquake, so ④calmly checking for hazards before moving is just as important as reacting ⑤quickly at the first tremor.

Attention, students and teachers! Our school is starting a new campaign called 'Bring Your Own Bag.' Starting next Monday, the school store will no longer offer free plastic bags to customers. Instead, we ①encourage everyone to bring a reusable shopping bag from home. Plastic bags, which are made from petroleum, take hundreds of years to break down in the environment. In contrast, a cloth bag can be used again and again for many years. Therefore, using a reusable bag is a simple habit that ②protects sea animals and ③increases pollution. For example, students who bring their own bags will receive a small sticker as a ④reward. However, students who forget their bags may still purchase a paper bag for a small fee. We hope every student will join this easy and meaningful campaign. Thank you for helping our school become ⑤greener.

For decades, productivity advice has focused almost entirely on managing time efficiently, yet many experts now argue this approach ①emphasizes something important. Unlike time, which flows at a ②constant rate, human energy naturally rises and falls in cycles shaped by sleep, food, and mental fatigue. A person who tackles difficult tasks during a low-energy period, for instance, may need two hours to finish what takes thirty minutes at ③peak energy. Similarly, someone who forces themselves to keep working without rest often produces careless mistakes that require additional time to ④correct later. Advocates of energy management recommend identifying one's peak hours and reserving them for demanding work, while saving low-energy periods for ⑤routine tasks.

As companies collect enormous amounts of personal data to improve their products and target advertisements, serious ethical questions have emerged about how that information should be handled. Employees who work with big data now face ①minimal responsibilities that previous generations rarely encountered, since a single careless decision can expose millions of people's private information. Some argue that strict regulations should govern data collection, even if such rules ②slow innovation and increase costs for businesses. Others insist that self-regulation within companies, guided by clear ethical training, can protect consumers just as ③effectively without stifling progress. Most experts agree that professionals handling sensitive data must be trained not only in technical skills but also in ethical ④decision-making. Universities have begun adding data ethics courses, recognizing that future employees will need to ⑤balance innovation with responsibility.

Communication scholar Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann proposed the spiral of silence theory to explain why certain opinions ①dominate 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 ②vocal rather than risk social isolation or criticism. This silence, however, creates a distorted impression that the minority opinion is even ③rarer than it actually is, discouraging additional supporters from speaking up. Over time, this cycle spirals downward, allowing the dominant opinion to appear increasingly ④unanimous while dissenting voices disappear from visible conversation. Social media platforms can intensify this spiral, since visibility metrics make popular opinions instantly ⑤noticeable while unpopular ones remain hidden.

Sociologist Mark Granovetter introduced an idea that seems ①contradictory at first glance, known as the strength of weak ties. According to this theory, people who see each other only ②occasionally, 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 ③similar 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 ④harder, letting users keep hundreds of loose acquaintances active without frequent face-to-face meetings. Consequently, these platforms function as efficient channels through which weak ties continue delivering ⑤fresh opportunities that close relationships simply cannot offer.

One Saturday morning, Jiho carried a heavy bag of old clothes to the donation box near his apartment. He had grown taller over the winter, so many shirts no longer fit him. At first, he almost threw the clothes into the regular trash without thinking twice. However, his older sister reminded him that clean clothes could still help someone else. She explained that donating clothes was like giving a plant a second chance to grow. For example, a jacket he had outgrown might keep another child warm this winter. Therefore, Jiho folded each shirt neatly and placed them gently inside the box. In contrast to his first careless idea, he now felt genuinely happy about his choice. Walking home, Jiho realized that _______________.

Water looks endless when it flows from the tap every morning, but clean water is actually a limited resource that we must protect carefully, since many families waste water without even noticing it. (A) Fixing a leaking faucet, which many people ignore, can also save hundreds of liters every month, since saving water is like keeping money in a savings account for the future. (B) For example, leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth can waste several liters of water, but turning off the tap during that time saves a surprising amount of water each day. (C) Taking a shorter shower is another easy habit that reduces water use significantly, and small changes like these can make a real difference over time.