영어 모의고사 (자동 편성)

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

Social psychologists describe a phenomenon called the bystander effect, in which individuals become less likely ①helping a victim as the number of witnesses increases. Each observer assumes someone else will step in, and this diffusion of responsibility leaves no one ②willing to act. Cyberbullying magnifies this problem, since a single humiliating post can be witnessed by thousands of people ③scattered across the internet rather than a few standing nearby. Anonymity intensifies the effect further, allowing silent observers ④to 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 ⑤to remain silent instead.

Devices that translate brain activity directly into digital commands have moved from laboratory experiments to real medical use, ① allowing paralyzed patients to control a robotic arm or type a message using thought alone. As the technology improves, some developers envision a future in which brain-computer interfaces extend beyond restoring lost function ② toward enhancing healthy minds, offering faster memory or expanded attention to anyone ③ willing to undergo the procedure. This prospect raises a philosophical question that medicine alone cannot answer: if a device can alter memory, mood, or decision-making, at what point does the assistance stop ④ being a tool and start reshaping the very identity of the person using it. Neuroethicists argue that mental privacy, the ability to keep one's own thoughts free from external access or manipulation, may need ⑤ recognizing as a fundamental right before this technology becomes widespread.

A rational approach to decision-making dictates that only future costs and benefits should influence a choice, since resources already spent ①cannot be recovered regardless of what is decided next. In practice, however, people routinely allow such irrecoverable expenditures, known as sunk costs, ②to shape their subsequent decisions, a pattern referred to as the sunk cost fallacy. A moviegoer who finds a film thoroughly disappointing after the first thirty minutes will often remain in the theater until the credits roll, ③reasoning that leaving early would somehow waste the money already spent on the ticket. Organizations exhibit the same fallacy on a larger scale: a company that ④have invested heavily in a failing project frequently continues funding it, arguing that abandoning the project now would render the prior investment meaningless. Yet continuing to invest in a venture destined to fail merely adds new losses to old ones, ⑤compounding the very waste the decision-makers hoped to avoid.

Jian wanted to become a reader for years, but every time he picked up a thick novel, he felt ①overwhelmed and quickly closed it. His cousin, who had read dozens of books that year, told him about something called the two-minute rule. This rule states that a new habit should be shrunk to under two minutes, since a smaller starting point ②strengthens the friction that usually stops people from beginning. Some nights he stopped after that single page, but most nights, once started, he kept reading for twenty or thirty minutes without ③noticing. Because the initial barrier became so small, sitting down no longer felt like a ④burden requiring willpower. Within three months, Jian had finished five books, proving that reducing friction can matter more than ⑤motivation itself.

Many students ①assume that perfectionists work harder than everyone else, but psychologists describe a puzzling pattern called the perfectionism-procrastination cycle. Because perfectionists set impossibly high standards, they often feel ②anxious before they even begin, and the task feels overwhelming. They then ③accelerate the work to avoid facing their own unrealistic expectations, even though delay only increases their stress later. Likewise, an employee facing an important report may check emails repeatedly rather than begin drafting, fearing an early attempt will seem ④inadequate. Ironically, this avoidance guarantees the very failure that perfectionists dread, since ⑤rushed, last-minute work rarely meets their own high standards.

Before making a purchase, most online shoppers now read reviews written by previous customers rather than relying solely on advertisements. These reviews, posted by people who have no financial connection to the seller, often seem more trustworthy than promotional claims. Research shows that products with a large number of positive reviews sell significantly more than those with few or no reviews at all. However, fake reviews written by paid writers or even automated programs have become a serious problem, undermining consumer trust. Platforms that fail to detect these fraudulent posts risk losing credibility with their users, who expect authentic opinions when making decisions. To address this issue, several review platforms have begun using artificial intelligence to identify suspicious patterns. Ultimately, the power of online reviews ___________.

The subscription economy refers to a business model in which consumers pay a recurring fee to access goods or services rather than owning them outright. This model has expanded rapidly beyond entertainment platforms into areas such as clothing, food, and even transportation. One major reason for this growth is ___________, since subscribers no longer need to make repeated purchasing decisions once they sign up. Another reason is that companies benefit from predictable revenue, which allows them to plan production and marketing more efficiently than with one-time sales. However, some critics argue that subscriptions encourage people to pay for services they barely use, quietly draining their monthly budgets.

주어진 문장: Better rested individuals, in turn, tend to have more patience and energy for the people around them. A growing number of people are practicing what is now called digital detox, the deliberate decision to stop using smartphones for a set period. ( ① ) Rather than checking notifications every few minutes, participants unplug for a weekend, a week, or sometimes even longer. ( ② ) Numerous studies suggest that this temporary withdrawal produces real benefits for both the mind and the body. ( ③ ) First, attention spans fragmented by constant notifications gradually recover, allowing people to concentrate on single tasks for longer stretches. ( ④ ) Second, avoiding screens before bedtime improves sleep quality, since blue light emitted by devices is known to disrupt natural sleep cycles. ( ⑤ ) 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, scheduling periodic digital detox sessions deserves serious consideration.

주어진 문장: Fortunately, this cycle is not impossible to reverse. An echo chamber refers to an online environment where people are mainly exposed to opinions that already match their own beliefs. ( ① ) This phenomenon occurs because social media algorithms tend to recommend content similar to what users have previously liked or shared, gradually narrowing the range of perspectives they encounter. ( ② ) As a result, individuals inside an echo chamber rarely engage with viewpoints that challenge their existing assumptions, which allows their original beliefs to grow increasingly extreme over time. ( ③ ) For example, someone who frequently reads articles supporting one political party may begin to see the opposing party as entirely unreasonable, having never seriously considered its arguments. ( ④ ) Political polarization, a significant issue in many countries today, is often linked to this pattern of selective exposure. ( ⑤ ) Breaking out of an echo chamber requires deliberately seeking information from diverse sources, even when those sources present uncomfortable or unfamiliar ideas.