영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Many students set a New Year goal ①to build a new habit, such as reading every night or exercising each morning. However, most people give up within two weeks because the habit still ②feels difficult. Researchers ③who studied this process found that, on average, a new habit takes about sixty-six days to feel automatic. During the first few weeks, your brain still treats the activity as something new, so you must ④rely on willpower. This is why experts suggest ⑤repeat a small action every single day, rather than aiming for a perfect performance right away.

When people have no specific goal, they usually feel ①confused about where to start, and their interest fades within days. For example, a student who simply decides to study harder this year often loses direction because the plan is too ②vague. In contrast, a student who sets a ③clear goal knows exactly what to do every day. A clear goal also makes progress easy to measure, and noticing small improvements keeps people ④encouraged. Setting a specific goal is one of the most ⑤ineffective ways to build lasting motivation.

Many people believe that building a new habit requires strong willpower or motivation. However, psychologist BJ Fogg argues that habits form more ①easily when a behavior itself becomes simple to perform. His theory, called the Fogg Behavior Model, states that a behavior happens only when motivation, ability, and a prompt occur together. When motivation is ②low, the model suggests, the task must be made extremely ③difficult, or it will not happen at all. For instance, a person who wants to exercise daily succeeds more often by committing to one push-up than to a long workout. Fogg calls this idea the law of ④least effort, since people naturally choose the option requiring the least energy. A student who wants to read more might leave a book open on the desk rather than setting a vague goal. By lowering the required effort, people reduce the ability barrier and make steady action far more ⑤achievable.

Two years ago, I began volunteering at an animal shelter near my neighborhood on weekends. My tasks included feeding animals, cleaning cages, and helping visitors choose a pet to adopt. Over time, I noticed how much I ①enjoyed calming nervous or injured animals. One rainy afternoon, a frightened puppy refused to eat, and I sat quietly beside it for over an hour until it finally ②relaxed. Watching the puppy trust me changed something inside me. I began researching careers in veterinary medicine and animal behavior, subjects I had ③frequently considered before. My volunteer work, which started as a simple ④hobby, slowly turned into the ⑤clearest career direction I had ever found.

Philosopher Robert Nozick asked his readers to imagine a machine capable of producing any experience they desired, from writing a great novel to falling in love, all indistinguishable from reality once they were plugged in. Neuroscientists would simply stimulate the brain to generate a lifetime of perfectly satisfying experiences. If pleasure and the avoidance of pain were truly all that mattered, as classical hedonism claims, then everyone should rush to connect themselves permanently to such a machine. Yet when people actually consider the offer, most hesitate, and many refuse outright. Nozick took this reluctance as evidence that _______________.

Behavioral economists use the term status quo bias to describe a tendency to prefer the present situation over a new alternative, even when the alternative would bring greater benefits. This bias helps explain why many households hesitate to switch to renewable energy, such as installing solar panels on their roofs. Although solar panels can lower electricity bills over time, homeowners often stick with their current power source because it feels safe and requires no immediate effort. In contrast, switching demands research, upfront cost, and trust in unfamiliar technology, all of which can seem risky compared with doing nothing. For example, a neighborhood association might repeatedly postpone a vote on shared solar panels, not because the plan is flawed, but because members are reluctant to leave their routine. Therefore, boosting renewable adoption may depend less on proving its advantages and more on _______________.

A growing number of people are practicing what is now called digital detox, the deliberate decision to stop using smartphones for a set period. Rather than checking notifications every few minutes, participants unplug for a weekend, a week, or sometimes even longer. Numerous studies suggest that this temporary withdrawal produces real benefits for both the mind and the body. First, attention spans fragmented by constant notifications gradually recover, allowing people to concentrate on single tasks for longer stretches. Second, avoiding screens before bedtime improves sleep quality, since blue light emitted by devices is known to disrupt natural sleep cycles. Third, people freed from their phones often rediscover the pleasure of face-to-face conversations that had been replaced by texting. Critics argue that complete disconnection is impractical in a hyperconnected society, yet even brief, regular breaks appear to restore balance. Therefore, _______________.

When a beverage company launched a new flavor last summer, the marketing team faced a tight budget and needed a creative solution. Instead of relying on expensive television commercials, they designed a simple dance challenge and invited a handful of everyday users to post videos using the product. Within days, thousands of people began recreating the dance and tagging the brand, turning an ordinary product launch into a viral trend. The company barely spent any money on production, yet the challenge reached millions of viewers across multiple platforms. Encouraged by this success, other brands quickly attempted similar challenges, though many failed to generate the same excitement. Researchers later explained that the original challenge succeeded because it felt spontaneous and fun rather than obviously commercial. This case demonstrates that ___________.

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.

Turning off lights when you leave a room seems like a tiny action, but it saves more energy than most people expect. (A) However, when an entire school forms this habit together, the total amount of saved energy becomes significant. Therefore, this small daily habit can create a surprisingly large positive effect for the whole planet. (B) Every light left on in an empty room wastes electricity that could have powered something useful elsewhere. For example, a single classroom light left on overnight can waste enough energy to charge dozens of phones. (C) This habit is similar to leaving a faucet running while you brush your teeth, where water flows out for no reason. Both actions seem harmless in the moment, but they add up to a serious waste over time. Some students argue that a single light does not make much difference.