영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Jian wanted to become a reader for years, but every time he picked up a thick novel, he felt overwhelmed and quickly ①close it. His cousin, who had read dozens of books that year, told him about something called the two-minute rule. This rule states that a new habit should be ②shrunk to under two minutes, since a smaller starting point removes the friction that usually stops people from beginning. Instead of ③committing to a full chapter each night, Jian promised himself only to open a book and read one page. Some nights he stopped after that single page, but most nights, once ④started, he kept reading for twenty or thirty minutes without noticing. Within three months, Jian had finished five books, ⑤proving that reducing friction can matter more than motivation itself.

Standard economic theory assumes that money is fungible, meaning that a dollar earned as salary is functionally identical to a dollar received as a tax refund or won in a lottery. In practice, however, people routinely sort their finances into separate mental accounts, ①treating money differently depending on its source or intended purpose, a process economists call mental accounting. A household that would never dip into its retirement savings to pay for a vacation might nonetheless spend an unexpected bonus on that very trip without hesitation, even though both sums ②are, in strictly financial terms, equally available for either purpose. This compartmentalization can produce decisions that appear inconsistent when viewed through a purely rational lens: the same individual who diligently saves a portion of every paycheck may simultaneously ③carrying high-interest credit card debt, effectively paying more to borrow than they earn on their savings. Mental accounting is not always harmful, however; by assigning specific categories to specific funds, individuals can also impose useful discipline on their spending, ④preventing money earmarked for essential needs from being diverted toward impulsive purchases. The practice thus reveals that financial behavior is guided less by pure arithmetic than by psychological categories that individuals ⑤impose on money's origin and purpose.

Retailers frequently rely on sales events to boost short-term revenue, but the psychology behind these promotions is more complex than simple discounting. When a price is crossed out and replaced with a lower number, consumers instinctively ①perceive the new price as a bargain. This technique, ②known as anchoring, shapes how shoppers judge value by comparing prices rather than evaluating a product on its own merits. Limited-time sales further intensify this effect, since a ticking clock ③encourage rushed decisions that leave little room for careful comparison. Retailers also use phrases such as "while supplies last" to suggest scarcity, even when inventory ④remains plentiful. Over time, frequent sales can actually train customers ⑤to wait for discounts rather than buy at full price.

Rather than displaying products in the usual manner, the team designed the space to resemble a colorful garden, inviting visitors to explore and take photographs. Lines formed outside the store within days, even though the products themselves were already available online. Curious about this success, a marketing researcher later interviewed several visitors, who explained that the temporary nature of the event made the experience feel special and worth attending in person. When the two weeks ended, the brand reported a significant ①decrease in both sales and social media followers. ②Encouraged by these results, the company ③began planning ④additional pop-up events in ⑤other cities.

During exam season last year, our school counselor introduced a weekly drop-in session where students could paint freely for thirty minutes without any instructions or grading. I attended mostly out of ①curiosity, expecting a relaxing but ultimately pointless activity, since I have never considered myself artistically talented. To my surprise, filling a blank page with color, without worrying whether the result looked good, left me noticeably ②calmer than scrolling through my phone during the same amount of free time. The counselor explained that art therapy does not aim to produce impressive paintings; it simply gives people a way to express feelings that are difficult to put into words, especially ③frustration or anxiety that builds up silently during a stressful week. Several classmates who initially came only to avoid studying kept ④returning on their own afterward. None of us left with a masterpiece, but many of us left the room feeling noticeably ⑤heavier than when we had walked in.

A rational approach to decision-making dictates that only future costs and benefits should influence a choice, since resources already spent cannot be ①recovered regardless of what is decided next. In practice, however, people routinely allow such irrecoverable expenditures, known as sunk costs, to shape their subsequent decisions, a pattern referred to as the sunk cost fallacy. A moviegoer who finds a film thoroughly ②disappointing after the first thirty minutes will often remain in the theater until the credits roll, reasoning that leaving early would somehow waste the money already spent on the ticket. Organizations exhibit the same fallacy on a larger scale: a company that has invested heavily in a failing project frequently ③abandons funding it, arguing that stopping the project now would render the prior investment meaningless. Yet continuing to invest in a venture destined to fail merely adds new losses to old ones, ④compounding the very waste the decision-makers hoped to avoid. Economists therefore urge decision-makers to evaluate each choice based solely on its prospective outcomes, treating past expenditures as ⑤irrelevant to the decision at hand.

Last week, I started feeling tired and had a mild headache every afternoon at school. At first, I thought I was just stressed about exams, but my mother told me it might be air-conditioning sickness, which happens when ___________. After doing some research, I learned a few simple ways to prevent it, such as wearing a light jacket indoors, drinking warm water, and stretching every hour.

A documentary director named Mira set out on her first trip to a remote Arctic glacier, eager to film its towering cliffs of blue ice. (A) Comparing the two sets of footage side by side, she realized that a transformation she had expected to take centuries was actually happening within a single decade, which convinced her that climate change was an urgent process reshaping landscapes before her eyes. (B) Five years later, however, she returned to the very same coordinates, only to discover that the glacier had retreated so dramatically that the ice cliffs had nearly disappeared, leaving bare rock and meltwater behind. (C) Standing before the massive wall of ice on that first trip, she assumed that such an enormous structure could hardly change within a lifetime.

주어진 문장: This unexpected combination of skills fascinated him more than he had expected. When Daniel was a child, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut, yet he assumed such careers belonged only to a handful of government scientists. ( ① ) By the time he entered university, however, the space industry had changed dramatically, as private companies began launching satellites and building reusable rockets. ( ② ) Daniel studied aerospace engineering, drawn to the idea that space exploration was no longer limited to a few national agencies. ( ③ ) During an internship, he helped design a small satellite intended to monitor crop health from orbit, a project that combined engineering with agricultural science. ( ④ ) He realized that the space industry now needed not only pilots and engineers but also data analysts, technicians, and even lawyers familiar with international space regulations. ( ⑤ ) After graduation, Daniel joined a startup developing lunar landing equipment, a job that barely existed when he first imagined his future career.

My older sister suggested that I make a more realistic plan instead. When summer vacation began, I decided to make a daily schedule so that I would not waste my free time. ( ① ) At first, my plan was too strict, with study sessions packed back to back and almost no breaks. ( ② ) After only three days, I felt exhausted and gave up on the schedule completely. ( ③ ) She recommended setting two or three main goals for each day rather than filling every single hour. ( ④ ) I also learned to include short breaks between tasks, since resting actually helps me focus better afterward. ( ⑤ ) Since making these changes, I have been able to follow my schedule much more consistently.