영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Desalination, the process of removing dissolved salts from seawater to produce fresh water, has increasingly been adopted by coastal regions facing chronic water ①scarcity. Most modern facilities rely on reverse osmosis, a technique in which seawater is forced through membranes whose microscopic pores block salt while letting water molecules pass. Because this method ②consumes far less energy than the thermal distillation once dominant in the industry, it has become the preferred choice for large-scale plants. Nevertheless, desalination remains an inherently costly and environmentally burdensome solution, a fact often overlooked amid enthusiasm for ending water shortages. For instance, the process generates a ③concentrated byproduct called brine, which, when discharged without adequate dilution, can raise local salinity to levels that harm marine life. Pumping seawater through membranes at high pressure also demands substantial electricity, so plants powered by fossil fuels can ④alleviate the emissions that intensify drought. Therefore, engineers increasingly argue that desalination should be treated not as a stand-alone remedy but as one component of a ⑤broader conservation strategy.

Among strategies for improving ①concentration, the Pomodoro Technique remains one of the most widely recommended methods for students and workers. This technique involves working with full attention for twenty-five minutes, then taking a short five-minute break before starting the next session. After completing four of these cycles, a longer break of fifteen to thirty minutes is usually taken to allow mental ②recovery. The method assumes that sustained focus becomes harder to maintain as time passes, so frequent short breaks prevent mental ③fatigue from building up. Students preparing for exams report finishing reading assignments faster when they follow this structured rhythm instead of studying without interruption. Office workers find that dividing large projects into short, timed intervals makes overwhelming tasks feel more ④manageable. Because each interval has a clear start and end, procrastination becomes ⑤more tempting, since beginning a single twenty-five-minute session requires less commitment than beginning an entire project.

Choice architecture refers to how decisions are designed. It determines which option is automatically selected unless a person ①actively chooses otherwise, known as the default option. Research consistently shows that people tend to stick with whatever is already set, even when changing it takes only seconds. Organ donation is a well-known example. Countries where citizens are automatically registered as donors unless they opt out show ②much higher donation rates than opt-in countries. Retirement savings programs show a similar pattern, since employees automatically enrolled in a pension plan ③rarely cancel it. Voluntary sign-ups, in contrast, often delay indefinitely. Critics argue that default options can be manipulated to benefit companies rather than individuals, so transparency about how defaults are chosen becomes ④unnecessary. Still, supporters insist that because some default must always exist, it should support people's own long-term interests rather than mere ⑤institutional convenience.

Minji had tried for years to build a bedtime reading habit but always ①forgot once under the blanket. During summer, she found a method called habit stacking. It means attaching a new habit to an existing one so it acts as a reminder. Her existing habit was brushing her teeth every night, so she decided to place her book ②far from her toothbrush. After brushing her teeth, she would pick up the book, letting one action trigger the next. Within two weeks, opening the book after brushing felt almost ③automatic, requiring no conscious effort. She realized habit stacking worked best when the new habit was ④small and the existing habit was stable and predictable. By the end of summer, both habits felt like ⑤steady parts of her routine, requiring no reminders.

Social psychologists describe a phenomenon called the bystander effect, in which individuals become less likely to help a victim as the number of witnesses increases. Each observer assumes someone else will step in, and this diffusion of responsibility leaves no one willing to act. Cyberbullying magnifies this problem, since a single humiliating post can be witnessed by thousands of people scattered across the internet rather than a few standing nearby. Anonymity intensifies the effect further, allowing silent observers to scroll past cruel comments without feeling accountable for their inaction. Some bystanders even worry that intervening publicly might make them the bully's next target, so they choose to remain silent instead. However, silence signals approval to both the bully and the audience watching the exchange unfold. Experts insist that even a single supportive comment can disrupt this harmful pattern. Therefore, witnesses online must _______________.

Behavioral economists use the term temporal discounting to describe how people undervalue future rewards simply because those rewards are not immediate. This tendency explains why a student might choose to watch videos tonight rather than study for an exam that remains several weeks away, even though studying offers a greater long-term benefit. A distant reward, no matter how valuable, feels psychologically smaller than a small reward available right now. This bias contributes to procrastination, since future consequences rarely feel urgent enough to motivate immediate action. To counter this tendency, students should convert distant goals into smaller, near-term milestones that feel more emotionally real. Setting weekly checkpoints rather than a final deadline can make future benefits feel closer and more concrete. Teachers and parents should provide immediate, meaningful feedback, since ___________.

Last January, Minji wrote the same resolution she always wrote: study English for an hour every day. By February, she had already quit, just as in previous years. Frustrated, she asked her teacher why her willpower always failed, and learned about a concept called ___________. This idea, developed by psychologists, means forming a specific if-then plan that links a certain situation to a certain action in advance. Instead of vaguely intending to study more, Minji made a precise plan: if she finished dinner, then she would study for thirty minutes.

The twenty-hour rule proposes that years of practice are not needed to become skilled at a new activity. 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. According to supporters, ___________, since a beginner has room to grow. Someone learning guitar can typically strum simple chords and follow a basic song within twenty hours of daily practice. Likewise, a language learner may soon order food or ask directions without years of formal study. 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.

Many students struggle not with lack of effort but with lack of structure when studying for exams. (A) Once colors are assigned, the student blocks specific hours of the day for each subject, following the same order as a printed timetable. (B) As a result, switching between subjects no longer feels confusing, because each color block signals exactly what should happen next. (C) One student solved this problem by giving each subject a distinct color on a printed weekly calendar before the semester began.

주어진 문장: This is why many people find it especially difficult to maintain healthy eating habits after a long, stressful day at work. Psychologist Roy Baumeister proposed a concept called ego depletion theory, which suggests that willpower functions like a muscle that gradually tires after repeated use. ( ① ) According to this theory, every act of self-control, from resisting a snack to concentrating on difficult homework, draws from the same limited mental resource. ( ② ) As this resource becomes depleted throughout the day, later decisions require more effort and are more likely to fail. ( ③ ) For instance, someone who exercises discipline avoiding distractions all morning may struggle to resist checking a phone by evening. Likewise, dieters report that self-control weakens sharply at night, after hours of resisting food. ( ④ ) Some researchers argue that short breaks, adequate sleep, and blood sugar levels can help restore this depleted resource. ( ⑤ ) Although later studies have questioned how strong this effect is, the theory still offers a useful framework for understanding why willpower seems to fade throughout a long day.