영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Minjun used to leave half of his lunch tray full of untouched rice and vegetables every day. Last spring, his class started a campaign called "Clean Plate Day" to reduce food waste. At first, Minjun thought the campaign sounded boring and unnecessary for someone like him. However, his teacher explained that leftover food thrown away every day adds up to a huge amount of waste. She compared uneaten food to _______________. This comparison surprised Minjun because he had never thought about food that way before. He decided to take only what he could finish and to try new vegetables slowly. Within a few weeks, his tray was almost always empty, and he felt proud of the change. Other students noticed his effort and began doing the same thing.

Time-management researchers frequently mention a principle known as Parkinson's Law, which states that ___________. According to this idea, a task that could be finished in one hour will often stretch to fill an entire afternoon if that much time is scheduled for it. Students who set vague deadlines frequently experience this effect, spending extra hours refining a report that was already complete. Employees given a full week for a simple project may also delay meaningful progress until the final days, even though the actual work requires far less effort. This pattern happens partly because people unconsciously adjust their pace to match perceived urgency. Setting shorter, more specific deadlines can counter this tendency, forcing tasks to fit within a tighter and more realistic window. By recognizing how flexible time encourages unnecessary delay, individuals can complete assignments more efficiently without sacrificing quality.

Good morning, residents of Green Apartment! We would like to introduce a simple way to protect our environment, since used batteries contain harmful chemicals that should never be thrown away with regular trash. (A) If these chemicals leak into the soil, they can pollute water and harm plants, so our building has installed a special collection box for used batteries near the main entrance. (B) We appreciate your effort to keep our neighborhood clean and safe, and thank you for your cooperation and kindness. (C) Please place your old batteries inside this box instead of the trash can, since the box, which is emptied every month, is easy for anyone to use.

The SMART method breaks a goal into five simple parts that make it easier to reach. (A) Next, make sure your goal is measurable, so you can track your progress with clear numbers. (B) Finally, add a deadline to your goal, since a time-bound goal pushes you to take action instead of waiting. (C) First, make your goal specific by describing exactly what you want to do rather than using vague words.

Change blindness refers to a striking limitation of human perception in which observers fail to notice substantial alterations to a visual scene, provided the change occurs during a brief disruption such as an eye movement or a momentary obstruction. (A) In a now-famous demonstration, researchers showed participants two versions of a photograph in alternation, separated by a short blank screen, and asked them to identify what had changed. Even when an entire building disappeared or a person's clothing shifted color, many viewers stared at the picture without detecting anything unusual. (B) Consequently, change blindness demonstrates that our impression of a rich, complete visual world is, to a surprising extent, an illusion constructed by the mind, not a faithful record of external reality. (C) This phenomenon occurs because visual attention, rather than passively recording every detail like a camera, actively selects only a narrow subset of information for processing at any given moment. Whatever falls outside that narrow spotlight is represented only sparsely, if at all, leaving it vulnerable to being overwritten without notice.

In response, some platforms have begun inserting occasional wildcard suggestions that are deliberately unrelated to past viewing habits. After a viewer finishes an episode, a streaming service rarely leaves the choice of what to watch next entirely up to chance. ( ① ) Instead, a recommendation algorithm compares that viewer's habits with patterns drawn from millions of other users who watched similar content, then ranks thousands of titles in order of predicted interest. ( ② ) This approach keeps viewers engaged far longer than a simple list of new releases ever could, which is precisely why streaming companies invest so heavily in refining it. ( ③ ) The system is not without drawbacks, however. Because the algorithm favors titles similar to what a viewer already enjoys, it can quietly narrow someone's exposure to unfamiliar genres, directors, or cultures, creating a comfortable but repetitive bubble. ( ④ ) These wildcard picks are meant to counteract this narrowing effect and keep recommendations from becoming too predictable. ( ⑤ )

주어진 문장: This is because clear goals give the brain a specific target to focus on. Have you ever wondered why some people stay motivated while others give up quickly? ( ① ) The answer often lies in whether they have a clear goal. ( ② ) When people have no specific goal, they usually feel confused about where to start, and their interest fades within days. ( ③ ) For example, a student who simply decides to study harder this year often loses direction because the plan is too vague. ( ④ ) In contrast, a student who sets a clear goal, such as raising an English score by ten points, knows exactly what to do every day. ( ⑤ ) A clear goal also makes progress easy to measure, and noticing small improvements keeps people encouraged.

주어진 문장: This explains why progress often feels rapid and motivating during the earliest days of learning something new. The twenty-hour rule proposes that years of practice are not needed to become skilled at a new activity. ( ① ) Only about twenty hours of effort are needed to reach a useful level. Unlike theories claiming true mastery requires ten thousand hours, this rule targets a more modest goal. That goal is simple competence for everyday use. ( ② ) According to supporters, practicing any new skill produces the fastest visible improvement, since a beginner has room to grow. ( ③ ) Someone learning guitar can typically strum simple chords and follow a basic song within twenty hours of daily practice. ( ④ ) Likewise, a language learner may soon order food or ask directions without years of formal study. ( ⑤ ) Advocates emphasize that the twenty hours must be deliberate and focused, broken into short daily sessions rather than one long stretch. The hours should be aimed at fixing weaknesses rather than repeating what one already knows.

주어진 문장: There is also a third, equally important reason that explains why so many resolutions fail so quickly. Many people give up on their new year's resolutions within just a few days, and psychologists have found several simple reasons for this pattern. ( ① ) First, willpower is like a muscle that becomes tired after being used too much, so people often run out of self-control by the end of a busy day. ( ② ) Second, many resolutions are unrealistic from the beginning, since people set goals that are far too difficult to reach in a short time. ( ③ ) When a goal feels impossible, people quickly lose motivation and stop trying. ( ④ ) Third, most resolutions do not offer any immediate reward. ( ⑤ ) Because the brain prefers quick rewards over distant ones, people find it hard to stay motivated without seeing fast results.

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.