영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Ambitious young athletes and the parents who support them sometimes assume that more training automatically produces ①better results, a belief that occasionally leads to a condition known as overtraining syndrome. Unlike ordinary fatigue that resolves after a few days of rest, overtraining syndrome develops ②rapidly within a single day of insufficient recovery, eventually producing persistent exhaustion, declining performance despite continued hard work, and increased susceptibility to illness and injury. Adolescents may be especially vulnerable, since their bodies are simultaneously coping with the physical demands of growth and the added stress of intensive training schedules. Warning signs are often ③subtle at first, including disrupted sleep, irritability, and a loss of enthusiasm for a sport the athlete once genuinely enjoyed. Recovery from full-blown overtraining syndrome can take ④months rather than days, which is why sports medicine specialists now emphasize monitoring early warning signs and scheduling rest before symptoms ⑤worsen.

Exercise does far more than strengthen muscles and the heart; it also produces ①measurable changes within the brain itself. During sustained physical activity, the body releases a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which supports the growth of new neurons and ②strengthens connections between existing ones, particularly in regions associated with memory and learning. Studies comparing physically active students to sedentary peers have repeatedly found that the active group performs ③better on tests of attention and problem-solving, even when the exercise session ends well before the test begins. Researchers believe that exercise increases blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients more efficiently, while also ④raising levels of stress hormones that can interfere with clear thinking. Interestingly, aerobic activities such as running or swimming appear to produce more ⑤pronounced cognitive benefits than purely strength-based training.

Scientists have identified certain gene variants that appear more frequently among elite endurance athletes than among the general population, along with a separate set that seems to favor explosive, power-based sports such as sprinting. One frequently studied variant, for instance, influences the proportion of slow-twitch versus fast-twitch muscle fibers a person naturally develops, a ratio that shapes whether a body leans toward endurance or explosive power. However, researchers caution strongly against interpreting these findings as evidence that athletic greatness is simply inherited, since _______________. Genetics may set a rough ceiling on an individual's ultimate potential, but where any particular athlete lands within that range depends overwhelmingly on training quality, nutrition, coaching, and sheer determination.

Psychologists have long studied how people determine their own worth by looking at those around them. (A) Festinger's theory explains this tendency, showing that individuals often compare themselves with others to evaluate their own abilities and opinions. (B) When people compare themselves with someone who seems more accomplished, a process called upward comparison, they often experience envy and lower self-esteem. (C) Social media intensifies this effect by constantly presenting curated images of other people's seemingly perfect lives.

A plastic bag that fully decomposes within months rather than lingering for centuries sounds almost too convenient to be real, yet certain bioplastics on the market do exactly that under the right conditions. (A) Not every bioplastic biodegrades quickly, however, and some marketed as eco-friendly break down only in industrial composting facilities that reach conditions rarely found in a backyard compost heap or the open ocean. (B) Unlike conventional plastic, derived almost entirely from petroleum, many bioplastics are synthesized from renewable feedstocks such as corn starch or sugarcane, sometimes with the help of bacteria engineered to produce plastic-like polymers as a byproduct of their metabolism. (C) Critics point out that growing crops for bioplastic production can compete with food crops for farmland and water, which is why researchers are now exploring bioplastics made from agricultural waste and algae instead of dedicated crops.

Coaches have traditionally focused athlete preparation on training volume and nutrition, but a growing body of research suggests that sleep deserves equal attention. (A) In response, many professional teams now employ sleep specialists who design travel schedules, control bedroom lighting and temperature, and even adjust competition start times when possible. (B) Frequent travel across time zones compounds this challenge considerably, since jet lag can disrupt an athlete's natural sleep-wake cycle for several days after a long flight. (C) During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone, essential for repairing muscle tissue, while the brain consolidates motor skills practiced earlier that day into more stable, efficient patterns.

Recovering from a serious sports injury involves far more than simply waiting for torn tissue to heal; it requires a carefully structured program that gradually reintroduces stress to the affected area. (A) Progressing too quickly at this stage is a common mistake, since tissue that appears healed on the surface may still be structurally fragile beneath it. (B) Skipping the final stage of sport-specific drills, even when an athlete feels fully recovered, dramatically increases the risk of re-injury, because general strength does not automatically translate into the coordination a sport demands. (C) Immediately after an injury, rest and gentle range-of-motion exercises give way to light resistance training as pain subsides, slowly rebuilding strength in muscles weakened by disuse.

Even the strangest idea, however small, had to be treated as completely real. On the first day of our improv theater workshop, the instructor gave us a rule that seemed impossible to follow: never say no to whatever another performer suggests. ( ① ) If a scene partner claimed the empty classroom was actually a submarine, our job was to accept that fact instantly and build on it, rather than correcting or rejecting the idea. ( ② ) I found this terrifying at first, since improv offers no script to hide behind and no time to plan a clever line in advance. ( ③ ) Over several weeks, though, I noticed that the students who worried most about saying something wrong were usually the ones who froze on stage, while those who simply accepted whatever happened and reacted honestly created the funniest, most memorable scenes. ( ④ ) The instructor explained that improv is not really about being naturally quick-witted, but about trusting a partner's idea enough to build on it rather than protecting your own. ( ⑤ )

He termed the resulting gap cultural lag, describing the friction that appears when institutions have not yet caught up with new technological realities. Sociologist William Ogburn observed that when a society undergoes technological change, its material culture, meaning tools and inventions, tends to advance faster than its nonmaterial culture, meaning norms, laws, and values. ( ① ) The rise of the automobile, for instance, transformed daily mobility long before traffic laws, insurance systems, and urban planning fully adapted to the risks it introduced. ( ② ) A contemporary example can be found in genetic testing, which now allows individuals to learn detailed information about inherited disease risk well before most legal systems have settled questions about its use. ( ③ ) Cultural lag theory reminds us that technological progress is not automatically matched by social progress. ( ④ ) The resulting gap can produce confusion or exploitation until laws and customs eventually adjust to new material conditions. ( ⑤ )

In short, an effective fueling plan treats carbohydrate loading as one tool among many, not a substitute for well-rounded nutrition. In the days leading up to an endurance event, many athletes deliberately increase their carbohydrate intake while reducing training volume, a practice known as carbohydrate loading. ( ① ) The strategy is designed to maximize the amount of glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate, packed into muscle tissue before competition begins. ( ② ) Because glycogen serves as the primary fuel source during prolonged, intense exercise, entering an event with fuller stores can delay the point of exhaustion that runners often call hitting the wall. ( ③ ) Sports nutritionists caution, however, that the timing and composition of meals matter as much as the total quantity of carbohydrate consumed, since eating unfamiliar foods immediately before competition can cause digestive discomfort. Athletes are therefore advised to practice their nutrition strategy during training rather than experimenting with it for the first time on race day. ( ④ ) Beyond carbohydrates, adequate protein and micronutrient intake throughout the training cycle remains essential, since fueling strategy is only one part of a much larger nutritional picture. ( ⑤ )