영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

Smart speakers have quietly become a fixture in many households, ① responding to spoken requests for weather updates, music, or kitchen timers. Behind this simple exchange lies a complex process: the device converts sound waves into text, interprets the meaning using language models, and then generates a spoken reply, all within a second or two. Because these assistants improve by ② learning from millions of interactions, they gradually become better at recognizing regional accents and casual phrasing that once confused them. Still, the technology remains far from perfect. Background noise, overlapping voices, or an unusual sentence structure can cause the assistant ③ misunderstanding a simple request, sometimes with amusing results. Engineers continue to refine these systems, but many admit that truly natural conversation, the kind ④ that flows without repeated commands or awkward pauses, ⑤ remains one of the hardest goals in the entire field of artificial intelligence.

Sociologist Mark Granovetter introduced an idea that seems contradictory at first glance, known as the strength of weak ties. According to this theory, people who see each other only occasionally, called weak ties, often ①provide more valuable information than close friends or family members, who are considered strong ties. This happens because strong ties tend to share the same social circles and, therefore, already possess similar knowledge. Weak ties, in contrast, move within different networks, which ②allows them to introduce ideas or opportunities that would otherwise remain unknown. For example, a former classmate rarely contacted might mention a job opening unavailable through one's immediate circle. Social media platforms have made maintaining such connections remarkably easier, letting users ③keeping hundreds of loose acquaintances active without frequent face-to-face meetings. Consequently, these platforms function as efficient channels through which weak ties continue ④delivering fresh opportunities that close relationships simply cannot ⑤offer.

Jimin joined the school band club in March, but she had never performed before an audience. The club's first concert was only two weeks away, and everyone felt ①nervous. During practice, her hands ②shook whenever the song reached the chorus, and she kept missing the same chord. Instead of laughing at her mistakes, the other members waited patiently and played the section again with her. The drummer, Suho, suggested that she focus on just one part at a time. Slowly, her fingers grew more ③hesitant, and the chord that once felt impossible began to feel natural. The club practiced until the melody sounded ④smooth the night before the concert. When Jimin walked onto the stage, she thought of her friends' patience instead of her fear. The audience clapped ⑤warmly, and she realized her club's support had made the difference.

As private companies develop the technology to mine asteroids for rare metals and water, a legal question once confined to science fiction has suddenly become ① urgent: who, if anyone, owns the resources of outer space? Existing international treaties state that no nation may claim sovereignty over celestial bodies, but they say remarkably ② little about whether a private company may extract and sell what it finds there. Some governments have already passed domestic laws granting their own companies rights to material mined in space, a move that other nations view as a ③ collective attempt to settle a question that should be decided collectively. Supporters of space mining argue that new resources could ④ ease shortages on Earth and fund further exploration, while critics ⑤ warn that treating space as an open frontier for extraction risks repeating the same mistakes that colonization caused on Earth.

Marketers have long recognized that perceived scarcity can dramatically increase a product's desirability, even when the item's intrinsic qualities remain entirely unchanged. A retailer who labels a product as "limited edition" or displays a countdown timer beside a discounted offer prompts customers to make hurried purchase decisions they might otherwise postpone or reconsider. Consumers who later reflect calmly on such purchases frequently discover that the item's actual usefulness fell well short of the ___________ they experienced at the moment of decision.

More and more teenagers today dream of starting their own business someday. Some students design and sell handmade jewelry online, while others create simple mobile apps as a hobby. Starting a small business also teaches skills that traditional classes rarely offer, such as managing money, marketing a product, and handling customer complaints. However, young entrepreneurs face real challenges too, and mistakes can feel discouraging at first. Still, most teen entrepreneurs say that ___________. For this reason, schools are beginning to offer entrepreneurship clubs, giving students a safe space to test their business ideas.

Many students wonder why club activities matter so much for their school life record, a document that summarizes what a student did during each semester. Whenever students take part in a club, their teacher writes a short note describing what role they played and how they grew. For example, a student who organized a club exhibition might be described as someone who showed strong leadership and creativity. These notes are not simply a list of activities; they _______________. Therefore, admissions officers at universities read the record carefully to understand a student's genuine interests, not just their grades. In contrast, a club membership with no real participation rarely leaves a meaningful impression. This is why teachers encourage students to take an active role rather than joining a club only for its name.

As technology develops rapidly, many new jobs are appearing that did not exist a decade ago. Data analysts, for example, help companies make decisions based on huge amounts of information. Renewable energy technicians install and repair solar panels and wind turbines. Healthcare is expanding beyond hospitals, creating roles for specialists who design digital health tools for elderly patients. These emerging jobs share one common feature: ___________. Experts predict that future workers will need to keep learning new skills throughout their careers.

Our school's volunteer club, Helping Hands, tries to _______________. Each month, students visit a nearby nursing home and spend an afternoon talking with elderly residents. For example, they read newspapers aloud or just listen to old stories from the residents. In addition, members collect used books and toys from classmates and donate them to a community center downtown. Some students feel nervous before their first visit, unsure of what to say to strangers. However, most discover that a warm smile works better than perfect words. Therefore, the club's real goal is not just finishing hours for a report card. Instead, it teaches members that caring for others grows into a lasting habit, like watering a plant daily. By the end of the year, many students say the club changed how they see their community.

The growing presence of AI in creative fields has sparked lively discussion among artists and critics alike. (A) In contrast, some artists worry that relying too heavily on such tools may weaken the value placed on original human creativity. (B) Many artists have embraced AI as a way to explore new styles quickly and overcome creative blocks. (C) Given these opposing views, most experts now agree that AI works best as a partner rather than a replacement for human creators.