Unit 01

단문독해

1

Some students who are considered learning disabled are actually just slow learners; they can learn the same material as other students, but it takes them longer. One problem faced by slow learners is that they focus on details and often miss the main point of lessons. For this reason, providing them with a list of important facts from each lesson and going over it several times can be helpful. Moreover, because many slow learners lack confidence, teachers should praise them often and have them participate in activities in which they are likely to succeed.

2

The benefits of incorporating technology into the classroom greatly outweigh the challenges. Perhaps the biggest advantage offered by technology is personalized learning. One example of this is a math game that automatically adapts to the player’s knowledge and ability level. Students find such games more engaging than simple books, so they are more likely to review what they learn on their own. This allows teachers to focus more on skills like problem-solving and critical thinking in the classroom.

3

One reason why cognitive linguists study language is that they believe that people’s thought patterns are reflected in their language. In their opinion, to study language from this perspective is to study the way people think, showing how people organize their thoughts and ideas. The most important way in which these linguists differ from others in their field is that they believe that language reveals the fundamental workings of our minds.

4

Many children with ADD have increased their attention spans using e-books. Due to the nature of their disorder, they are unable to pay attention to standard books but can focus more easily when using a computer. Whereas reading a standard book often fails to capture the interest of children with ADD, exploring the interactive features of an e-book tends to hold their concentration.

5

The way in which its eyes are positioned on its head controls an animal’s “field of vision.” That is to say, it determines how much it can see without moving its head. Because our eyes are at the front of our head, humans can see about 180 degrees. Horses, however, can see about 215 degrees. This means horses can see more of the world around them in a single moment than humans can. To be able to see so much at once is helpful to an animal that must constantly be on the alert for predators.

수능독해

1

In grade school, most of us were taught not to run our finger under a line of text as we read it. However, more recent studies have shown that this method can actually increase your reading speed and comprehension. Marking your progress with a finger enables you to read faster because it prevents you from losing your place and backing up to locate it. Otherwise, unnecessary rereading such as this would take up around one sixth of your reading time. In addition, reading with a hand on the page improves comprehension because it focuses your attention on a single spot and keeps your mind from wandering. So the next time you pick up a book, try underlining the words with your fingertip as you read along, and watch your reading speed increase.

2

There was a time in my life when I began to show all the signs of depression, including difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, lack of concentration, and feelings of hopelessness. When you find yourself in a situation like that, realizing just how serious your condition is can take some time. Day after day goes by, and eventually you realize that you have traveled so far off the path of life that you don’t even know which direction to go to find it again. For me, dealing with depression ended up being a fight for my life. No matter how hard I fought against the endless sobbing, though, I couldn’t keep back the tears or brighten my gloomy outlook.

3

We can blame our ancestors when we crave snacks in the middle of the night. Research suggests that our desire for midnight snacks is driven by the body’s internal clock, also known as the circadian system, which tells us when to sleep and when to get up. This craving is a leftover of a now unnecessary strategy for staying alive in the wild. Long ago, eating large meals at night helped our ancestors store energy during famines. However, changes in our eating habits have made it useless, and it is now causing a serious health problem. Modern people, who are less likely to face famines, are now eating unnecessarily, which is a key factor in rising obesity rates.

A survival tactic of our ancestors is one of the biggest contributors to modern obesity problems.

4

Sometimes it seems like the world is governed by “the law of the jungle,” where everything is a competition for survival. Actually, though, cooperation is just as important as the ability to compete. Consider an animal like the vampire bat. When one bat finds a food source, it lets other bats know about it because it knows this generosity will be repaid when another bat has a good day. Sharing food was an important part of early human societies as well. An early human who killed a giant mammoth couldn’t possibly eat it all; instead, he shared it with others, and they did the same when they experienced a hunting success. These days, we don’t depend on our neighbors for food, but the instinct to cooperate is still with us.

5

Most people know Einstein for his theory of relativity. But few people know that he never won a Nobel Prize for it. In fact, he was nominated 11 times without winning. The old-fashioned attitude of the Nobel committee members was mostly to blame. They thought the theory of relativity was too radical. One member even wrote: “Einstein must never receive a Nobel Prize even if the entire world demands it.” Despite this, Einstein’s 1905 paper on the photoelectric effect finally won him the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921. His paper showed that light behaves not only as a wave but also as particles. The committee ordered Einstein not to mention his theory of relativity at the prize ceremony, but he didn’t even attend.

6

The graph above shows the residential situations of centenarians — people who are at least 100 years old — in the years 2010 and 2015. In 2010, the percentage of centenarians living with family members was more than three times higher than the percentage whose residential situations was unknown. In both 2010 and 2015, centenarians living with relatives made up the smallest group. On the other hand, the percentage of centenarians living in nursing homes was the highest of all residential types in both years. This residential situation witnessed the largest increase from 2010 to 2015, as the percentage of centenarians in nursing homes more than doubled. Meanwhile, the percentage of centenarians living alone rose slightly, by less than two percentage points.

Unit 02

단문독해

1

Dogs with CCD(canine compulsive disorder) repeat harmful actions, such as chasing and biting their tails or chewing their paws until they have open wounds. To deal with this, what stressors trigger the repetitive action must be discovered. For instance, if a loud noise makes your dog chase its own tail, try to avoid making that noise. It is also helpful to keep your dog occupied with activities requiring its attention. For instance, there are puzzle toys that contain food; dogs with CCD can use their mental energy trying to open them. This keeps them from focusing on their stressors and from repeating harmful habits.

2

Most people enter the business world because they hope to make money, not simply for the love of their work. Obviously, then, it is important for businesses to earn a profit. What is often overlooked, though, is that businesses do not only benefit their owners and shareholders. They also have the potential to make a contribution to the economy of a community or a country.

3

A social enterprise is a business that focuses on either a social or environmental purpose. It is very similar to a traditional business in that it offers goods and services to consumers. Whether a business is a social enterprise, however, is determined by what its profits are used for. The profits a social enterprise earns go towards achieving its social or environmental goal rather than into the pockets of its owner or shareholders.

4

Regardless of who you are or where you live, someday your life will end. When it does, it won’t matter what you own or how much money you have. Nor will it matter what people think of you. On that day, what will matter is what you gave back to the world and what you were able to teach others. Keep this in mind and live a life that matters.

5

Everyone is an explorer at heart. After all, who could spend their life looking at a door without opening it? What you discover for yourself is always more exciting than what someone else discovers for you. For instance, think about the difference between a marriage for love and an arranged marriage: whether you are free to choose may well be more important to you than whom you actually choose to marry.

수능독해

1

Earning a lot of money at work is important, but it’s not a crucial factor in doing your job. When you are unsatisfied, your physical and mental health can suffer. You go home feeling depressed about your work problems and you hate going back. What's more, if you don’t consider your work meaningful, it’s difficult to keep your career moving forward. The more satisfied with your job you are, the more likely you will achieve career advancement. If you’re not satisfied, you won’t want to improve because you won’t want to be there. It’s very hard to feel motivated when all you consider important is a salary and job security. Therefore, if you want to change your work situation, it’s important to first discover what kind of work makes you feel satisfied. How much you earn may matter, but not more than being satisfied with your job.

2

What comes to mind when you hear the word “costs” is probably money. In the field of economics, however, the term “opportunity cost” is used to consider the idea of cost in a broader sense. The fact that we bought something means that we have exchanged money for it. The opportunity cost involved, however, goes beyond that. For example, when you decide to buy a ticket to a baseball game, you aren’t just giving up the $20 that the ticket costs. You’re also giving up the time spent at the stadium. A purchase is a choice, and the opportunity cost includes all the things you could have done if you had not made that choice. It is an important economic concept, ensuring that vital resources are not wasted.

3

Why life insurance is needed to ensure the security of your family should be clear. And if you care about your family’s future, you should do your research before purchasing a life insurance policy. A good policy will help them financially, while a bad one won’t. With good life insurance, it is possible for your family to continue living the same kind of lifestyle even if something disastrous happens to you. For example, an effective insurance policy will ensure that your children can afford the high-quality education you initially had planned for them. Unfortunately, many families with great plans for the future find they are not able to pursue this vision after the family’s primary money-earner dies. Therefore, it would be wise for you to get an effective life insurance policy as soon as possible.

4

Randy Pausch was an American computer science professor. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. He won many awards as a teacher and researcher and worked with such well-known companies as Google and Disney. But what he is best remembered for is an inspirational lecture he gave, entitled “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” Although the lecture was interesting and lively, it was the fact that he had pancreatic cancer that made it so meaningful. After being posted on YouTube, a video of the lecture made Pausch famous. He appeared on television and co-wrote a bestselling book based on his lecture. It was thought that a movie might be made from the book, but Pausch said this was not true. Sadly, Randy Pausch died in July 2008.

5

Some people believe it’s okay to eat food that has fallen on the floor, as long as you pick it up within five seconds. However, researchers have now proven this to be false. They tested four kinds of food: watermelon, gummy candy and both buttered and unbuttered bread. They found that the wetter the food was, the faster it became contaminated. But more importantly, they found it was possible for food to become contaminated almost as soon as it hit the floor. So, no matter how quickly you pick it up, bacteria may have reached it first. The test also showed that the longer the food was on the floor, the more bacteria it accumulated. Therefore, while picking up dropped food quickly can minimize contamination, it doesn’t necessarily prevent it.

6

At any large newsstand, you can find a variety of magazines to choose from. Some are devoted to particular subjects such as technology or cooking. But many feature content about celebrities, and a large number discuss nothing else. Apparently, editors have found that articles containing information about celebrities and the controversies often surrounding their lives sell better than

those that discuss current events or other news. This distresses me because I am not at all interested in reading about the goings-on in the world of celebrities, no matter how scandalous they may be. What I am expecting when I pick up magazines is news about political developments or scientific breakthroughs that are meaningful to me, and I’m sure I’m not in the minority.

Unit 03

단문독해

1

In recent years, some doctors have found that a small Indian village is experiencing a mysterious phenomenon. It has a population of about 6,000, but more than 100 pairs of twins have been born there in the last 50 years. This is nearly six times the global rate, making it home to the world’s highest concentration of twins. Doctors have looked into why it’s happening and have tried to come up with a medical explanation, but they haven’t yet found what the cause is.

2

Social networks may seem like they’re for socializing, but this is not true. In fact, according to a new study, social media is similar to observing people who pass on the street. When you push “like,” you are just showing awareness of others — not socializing. The study showed that only one out of every 25 minutes spent on social networks is real communication, such as chatting and commenting. This shows people may use social media, but it isn’t the same as real-world interaction.

3

The Best Way to Build a Successful Marriage

Sharing your time and space with someone every day isn’t easy. For this reason, if you want to build a better marriage, you need to have meaningful conversations with each other. Let your partner know how you feel and what you want. But more importantly, you have to be a good listener, acknowledging that your spouse’s concerns are just as valid as yours.

4

In the United States, 19 million people suffer from depression every day, and the illness affects nearly one in five people over a lifetime. Statistics show that although 20 percent of women have experienced depression, only 10 percent of men have. However, this is probably due to the fact that men are more reluctant to seek mental health treatment than women, meaning men’s reported depression rate is inaccurate.

5

Mental distractions are things that are on your mind, such as an overdue library book or a disagreement with a classmate. They can make it difficult to focus on your studying. To avoid this kind of situation, you should always try to deal with your everyday concerns before you start to study. Sometimes, you can just write down possible solutions now so that you won’t forget to try them later. This will help you stop worrying about them and allow you to concentrate on studying.

수능독해

1

In winter, many parts of the world experience blizzards. These storms are dangerous due to the fact that they cause low visibility. The defining characteristic of a blizzard is actually the speed of its winds rather than the amount of snow that falls. To be considered a blizzard, a snowstorm must last for three hours or longer and be accompanied by winds that reach speeds of at least 56 km/h. This combination of strong wind and heavy snow makes it hard for people to see anything beyond half a kilometer. Extreme blizzards make it difficult to see even trees and buildings that are just a few meters away. People should avoid traveling in blizzards, as it is possible to get lost even walking on their own property.

2

Pine mushrooms are large and thick, with a pale-colored cap and stalk. They have a strong smell, and are generally found in dry areas. Unlike most mushrooms, which tend to grow on or near any dying trees, pine mushrooms can only grow under specific conditions. As suggested by their name, they are only found beneath pine trees that are between 20 and 80 years old. In order for them to grow roots, the temperature must be below 26 °C during the day and above 15 °C at night. Mushroom collectors can only pick pine mushrooms once a year, as they don’t grow back. All of these requirements make it extremely difficult to artificially cultivate them.

3

The “cobra effect” happens when people attempt to solve a problem but their actions make the problem worse. It gets its name from an event that occurred during the British rule of India. Because many people in Delhi were dying from the bites of venomous cobras, the government wanted to reduce the number of these snakes in the wild. It decided to offer a reward for every cobra that was killed. Initially, because large numbers of cobras were being killed, this strategy seemed successful. Eventually, though, clever people began breeding cobras so that they could kill them and collect the reward. Once the government realized what was happening, it ended the program. And since dead cobras were then worthless, the breeders simply set their living ones free. As a result, the overall population of wild cobras actually increased.

4

My friend Erica is the most positive person I know. I once asked how she managed to always be cheerful. She replied, “Every morning, you have a choice: You can choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. I always choose the good mood.” Tragically, she was hit by a truck while riding her bicycle last year. When she arrived at the hospital, the doctors didn’t think she would live. But somehow, after several hours of surgery, she survived. I later asked her about the experience. She said she was terrified when she was brought into the operating room and saw the doctors’ worried faces. So she made a joke. When they asked if she was allergic to anything, she said, “Yes, trucks.” After that, the doctors relaxed and the surgery was a success. Erica’s cheerful attitude had helped her survive.

5

The French scientist Louis Pasteur discovered that tiny organisms known as microbes caused beer and wine to ferment. He also found that heating liquids at low temperatures would kill these microbes. This process later became known as “pasteurization.” While studying microbes, Pasteur began to believe that they might be the cause of many diseases. He began growing microbes in his lab in order to determine if this was true. Some of his peers refused to take his work seriously, rejecting the idea that so many of the diseases from which humans and animals suffered were caused by microbes. But in the late 1870s, Pasteur showed that a disease that affected cattle and cost the agricultural industry a great deal of money was caused by a certain microbe. More importantly, he was able to use this microbe to create an effective vaccine, with his research eventually leading to the end of the disease.

6

No matter how hard a company inspects its products before they are sold, perfection can never be guaranteed. When a defect or safety hazard is discovered in products that have already been manufactured and sold to the public, a company will often issue a recall. Customers are asked to return the products in exchange for monetary compensation. Recalls can be costly for companies. When the Ford Motor Company issued a recall on 13 million tires in 2001, its net loss was $3 billion. However, it is usually more damaging if the company tries to cover up a product’s defects. Consumers will discover the truth eventually, and the distrust they will feel towards the dishonest company will cause extensive harm to its brand in the long term.

Recalls can be expensive for companies, but by taking responsibility for their mistakes, they will reduce dissatisfaction among consumers.

Unit 04

단문독해

1

Picasso claimed that all children are born artists. The truth is that children are more willing to express their creative thoughts because they aren’t afraid of being wrong. But they don’t remain creative as they grow up, because they are taught not to be. The national education system makes students hold back and be fearful of freely expressing their opinions and thoughts. They unconsciously come to believe that mistakes are the worst thing. By the time they are adults, they’ve become too frightened to truly express themselves.

⇨ Because of the national education system, students are afraid of making mistakes, which causes them to hide their creative ideas.

2

Everyone in my class was a real character. The person next to me was such a hard worker that he knew every English idiom in the book by heart. The girl in the back had a serious sweet tooth, and she always brought candy for everyone. And then there was the joker, who loved to pull my leg. One day, he made me think the teacher was mad at me and wanted to see me after class. It wasn’t until I asked the teacher about it that I realized it was a joke.

3

Many people believe that whether an egg’s shell is white or brown has something to do with the quality, flavor, or nutritional value of the egg. Actually, this is a false assumption. Instead, shell color simply depends on the breed of the hen that laid it. All eggs taste the same and share a similar nutritional value, regardless of what they may look like on the outside.

4

Hundreds of years ago, scientists simply made guesses about how the world worked based on beliefs they already held. But Galileo Galilei was different. He is considered one of the earliest modern scientists because he helped introduce the idea of the experiment to scientific study. Using objective experiments instead of guesses and unproven beliefs, he discovered many things about the earth and our solar system.

⇨ Unlike most scientists of his time, Galileo Galilei relied on objective experiments rather than unproven beliefs and guesses.

5

I’ve seen a lot of people with low self-esteem these days. Until they get rid of their poor self-image, they’ll never be able to become better people. If you have low self-esteem, you must understand that you’re the only one who can make yourself a winner rather than a loser. One way to do this is with your words. Words can be like seeds. Plant them by speaking positively, and they will grow into self-confidence.

⇨ Speaking positively will cause your self-esteem to improve.

수능독해

1

Red squirrels are a native species in the United Kingdom. However, for many years they have been threatened by American grey squirrels, an invasive species which was introduced into the United Kingdom more than 100 years ago. But in recent years, there have been some positive signs that red squirrels can survive with some help from human beings. The Red Squirrel Survival Trust is leading the campaign to stabilize the red squirrel population and eventually make it grow. Our organization is delighted to be involved in the efforts to raise money and to make the citizens of the United Kingdom aware of this important environmental situation. Together we can protect red squirrels and save them from extinction.

2

For more than 20 years, archaeologists have been finding the fossils of predators in a Spanish cave. After discovering more than 18,000, they tried to understand why so many existed in a single location.

They inferred that there was a visible opening in the ground through which creatures could fall into the cave. Nevertheless, most animals were smart enough to avoid falling into it.

However, some young-adult predators likely entered the hole voluntarily, possibly searching for food or water. They became trapped and died of starvation, the smell of their rotting bodies attracting more predators into the cave and to their deaths.

This situation may have happened again and again, causing a vicious cycle. As the number of rotting bodies increased, the number of hungry predators they attracted likely did as well. This is probably why nearly 98% of the remains belonged to healthy young-adult predators.

3

In many parts of the world, ginger has been an important medicinal tool for centuries. People in countries like India and China have used it in the treatment of indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. Recently, the Western world has taken an interest in ginger as well. Experts are conducting studies on the spice to test its effect on different types of nausea, from seasickness to the feelings of discomfort and pain caused by cancer treatments. Already, scientists are beginning to recognize that ginger is the best cure for these ailments. Again and again, simple ginger pills are showing more positive results than any medicine available in pharmacies today. If this trend continues, ginger will likely soon be marketed as a popular herbal remedy in the West.

4

A utopia is a perfect society; a dystopia, on the other hand, is the opposite. In recent years, there have been many movies about dystopias, most of which have been quite successful in the box office. This is because after watching people being strictly controlled by a future government, we tend to look more closely at our own lives. “If we’re not careful,” we think, “we might end up like them.” And when the people in the movie resist, it makes us feel better. We also wonder what it would be like to live in this kind of future world. Not only do we think that we would survive, we also strongly believe that we would fight back and change the world. With society being so unfair these days, thinking this way appeals to many people.

5

Some people think that only human beings commit suicide. But Ric O’Barry, who used to work with dolphins, says that one of the dolphins in his care sank to the bottom of its tank and chose to stop breathing. Certain animals, including dolphins, seem to know of their own existence. But could they really end their own lives? If a living thing realizes that an action will result in death and does it anyway, it is considered suicidal. But animals are probably not capable of this realization. Instead, depression may cause them to unintentionally bring about their own deaths. If a dog is depressed enough, it may refuse to eat until it dies. The inactivity caused by depression will lead to death, but such a death is not suicide. In fact, this kind of self-destructive behavior is not unusual in nature.

6

A team of researchers at a university recently spent some time observing the eating habits of hundreds of students in the campus cafeteria. They found that women eating together with other women were more likely to choose high-calorie foods, consuming an average of 670 calories per meal. But when women ate their meals with men, the number of calories they consumed on average was far less. When eating together with just one man, women ate an average of 540 calories per meal. When asked what made her order a salad rather than a hamburger, one woman replied, “I guess I just want to make him believe I’m fit and healthy.” Another female student explained that eating a salad simply seemed more “ladylike” than biting into a big hamburger.

The study suggests that young women believe eating light meals makes the opposite sex find them more appealing.

Unit 05

단문독해

1

In elections in which a white candidate runs against a non-white candidate, pollsters have often observed that many white voters tell them that they are planning to vote for the non-white candidate. When Election Day comes, however, they end up voting for the white candidate. These white voters give pollsters untrue responses because they fear criticism: Expressing their true intentions might make others consider them racist. In other words, people probably respond dishonestly since they feel pressured to give a more socially acceptable answer.

2

There are about 30,000 of these in each of your cells. Everyone’s are slightly different, so these make each person unique. One or more of these might determine whether your hair is straight or curly, how tall you grow to be, or the color of your eyes. You inherit these from your parents, which is perhaps why you have your mother’s smile.

3

A team of researchers performed an experiment with oil from the peppermint plant. When they poured some of the oil into water containing young mosquitoes, they discovered that it killed them. Next, a group of human subjects was used to test the effectiveness of peppermint oil as a mosquito repellent. After applying the oil and spending a night out in the open, eight out of ten volunteers reported that they did not get any mosquito bites.

4

A recent experiment conducted by psychologists showed that babies can tell the difference between right and wrong. They showed some babies between the ages of six months and one year an animation. In the video, a red ball tried to climb a hill. A yellow square helped the ball, but a green triangle tried to stop it. Afterward, they had the babies choose one of the shapes. More than 80% selected the yellow square over the green triangle.

5

Some meetings motivate attendees, while others bore them. So what makes a meeting great? The first step is careful planning. A meeting must start with a clear set of objectives. It also requires a leader who can take charge and keep everyone on topic. Finally, you must anticipate problems. If you feel someone is going to react strongly to a certain issue, speak to him or her beforehand. This can help you avoid conflicts that might otherwise prevent your meeting from going smoothly.

수능독해

1

People sometimes call cuttlefish chameleons of the sea because of their ability to change their skin color. In spite of their name, cuttlefish aren’t actually fish, belonging instead to the same family as squid and octopuses. Their blood, which is bluish-green in color because it contains copper, is pumped through their body by three hearts. Two of these are dedicated to moving blood to the animal’s gills, while the purpose of the third heart is to circulate blood to the organs in the rest of the body. Cuttlefish are well adapted for life on the seafloor, where they hunt fish. Their bodies have a unique internal shell called a cuttlebone, which is often used to introduce calcium into the diets of canaries and parrots.

2

We had an opportunity to review your application for our open position, and an interview has been scheduled for you on Wednesday, July 31, at 3 p.m. You will be meeting with Ms. Parsons, head of the personnel department. Her office is located on the 18th floor of the administrative building in suite 1820. I am confident that you will find her to be very knowledgeable about our company and its role in the international marketplace. Following your interview, you will be asked to complete an hour-long examination designed to assess your experience with standard industry procedures. Please contact me if you are unable to make the appointment or have any questions. Thank you for your interest in our company.

3

While it’s almost impossible to find a place to stay in America for free, Amr Arafa’s apartment is available. However, the door is only open for refugees and victims of domestic violence. Arafa was inspired to start helping vulnerable people by his experience of moving to the US from Egypt to attend graduate school in 2005. He had nowhere to stay and only $1,000. He was in a desperate situation, but a Clark Atlanta University professor hosted him until he was able to find a place of his own. He never forgot the professor’s kindness or how good it felt to have a safe place to stay. His feelings of appreciation drove him to create a platform called EmergencyBnB that helps people in need find free temporary shelter. While Arafa does not anticipate that EmergencyBnB will solve the refugee crisis, he hopes that it will make a difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals throughout America.

4

Have you ever wondered why snakes have forked tongues? Their special tongues have a unique purpose; that is, they’re used not for tasting but rather for smelling. How it works is pretty amazing. There’s a sense organ located in the roof of a snake’s mouth that processes information about scents. When the snake quickly extends its tongue, what it’s doing is collecting tiny scent particles in the air that might give it clues about nearby prey, or even a possible mate. Having a forked tongue makes everything easier for snakes, since it lets them know which direction a scent is coming from. Depending upon whether the smell is of food or of a potential mate, the snake can then choose to strike or pursue.

5

This graph shows the average process of adjustment for someone living in a new culture over the first five years. Initially, the visitor is excited by the new culture. This lasts for around six months and is referred to as the honeymoon period. After this time, the visitor starts to experience culture shock, and the level of adjustment takes an upward turn for the next six months. Around one year after arrival, a period of initial adjustment occurs, and this lasts for two years. After three years, the visitor begins to experience mental isolation, and it is only after one more year that he or she enters a period of acceptance and integration. Five years after arrival, the visitor finally becomes fully integrated into the new culture.

6

“Giving someone the cold shoulder” refers to inhospitable behavior. But where did such an odd expression come from? Some people suggest that the term originated long ago from a practice meant to discourage unwanted guests from staying. If a welcome visitor arrived at your home, you might give that person a cordial welcome and offer them a warm meal. But, if someone you didn’t like stopped by, you might be less than hospitable. In fact, you might just serve them a cold shoulder of mutton, without even bothering to heat it up. It would be clear that you didn’t want the guests to stay, and after being served “the cold shoulder” they probably wouldn’t want to stick around anyway.

Unit 06

단문독해

1

In 1913, Maximilien Ringelmann found that when groups pull a rope, their collective performance is less effective than the sum of their abilities to pull it as individuals. What’s more, as the size of the group grows, so does the gap between the group’s potential and its actual performance. Assuming that a single person pulling a rope performs at 100% of his or her potential, groups of two perform at only 93%. This number decreases to 85% in groups of three and just 49% in groups of eight.

⇨ According to Ringelmann, when performing a task, individual effort decreases as the number of people involved grows.

2

The substitute teacher entered the classroom and informed the 25 high school students sitting in class that the regular teacher was ill and would not be in school that day. Immediately, the class erupted in cheers and applause. The substitute, attempting to restore order, demanded that the students calm down, but they simply ignored him and talked loudly among themselves.

3

Even though the two words are often used to mean the same thing, envy and jealousy actually represent two distinct emotions brought about by different kinds of situations. Envy occurs when someone else possesses something you do not have, and the fact that you do not have it causes you pain or frustration. Jealousy, on the other hand, refers to the feeling of fear you experience when you think you might lose something you possess to another person.

⇨ While envy is a painful feeling about things you don’t possess, jealousy is a fear of losing things you do possess.

4

In education, inspiration and motivation are the most important tools for success. A teaching style that emphasizes memorization and test preparation does not motivate or inspire. In fact, it often destroys a student’s desire to learn. This is unacceptable, as the goal of education should be to encourage students to continue seeking knowledge throughout their lives. In other words, true education should inspire students to pursue a lifetime of learning.

5

During a job interview, you should avoid presenting yourself as a well-rounded worker with skills in many areas. While you do want to show that you have numerous skills, your first priority should be showing your specialties. If you fail to do so, you may give the impression that you can’t do anything particularly well. Therefore, try to explain exactly what kind of tasks you can do best, focusing on your strongest skills. Doing so will make you stand out compared to the other applicants, and your chances of getting the job will increase.

수능독해

1

Humans generally share one form of communication — language. However, the way that ideas are conveyed in a language depends on the local culture. In fact, nothing distinguishes one culture from another quite like language does. As an example, consider the difference between signs saying that a snack machine is broken. The British sign could say, “Please understand this machine does not accept coins.” In America, a similar sign would instead read, “No coins!” A Japanese sign with the same purpose would show genuine regret about the problem and offer apologies to the consumers. While these differences may appear random to outsiders, they are quite natural to each language’s speakers. Once you understand a culture, the way it uses language may seem more natural to you.

2

Biofuel is a new fuel source made from biological material such as sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or corn. It could help us end our dependence on oil and lessen the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. While globally supported because it is eco-friendly, critics insist it could lead to a disastrous situation. As biofuel is made from edible crops, they believe it can accelerate food shortages. To avoid this, scientists have come up with a second-generation biofuel. Its advantage is that this new fuel requires only the inedible parts of the plants, such as leaves and stalks, which would mean the edible parts could still be used as food. While there are currently technical barriers to using it at home, it is expected that these drawbacks will soon be fixed.

3

A team of researchers asked two groups of participants to fill out a questionnaire with a pen held in their mouth in one of two different positions. The participants holding it in the “lip position” were forced to frown, while people holding it in the “teeth position” were forced to smile. The researchers did not explain the real purpose of the study, telling the participants that they were trying to find out how difficult it was for people without the use of their hands to write. In the questionnaire, the participants were asked to rate how funny a cartoon was, which was the real objective of the test. As the researchers expected, the participants in the “teeth position” group rated the cartoon significantly more amusing than those in the “lip position” group.

Researchers found that facial expressions have a significant effect on a person’s emotions.

4

People known as downshifters actively seek out ways to make their lives simpler. Downshifters spend less time working so they can focus on their personal lives. This is because they want to get away from the stress of the modern workplace. In fact, they seek to downplay the importance of economic success in life. The most important thing for a downshifter is to live a life filled with purpose, passion, and happiness. Some people who make the change to a slower life through downshifting do so as the result of a life-changing event, such as the death of a loved one, a long illness, or the failure of a close relationship. Most, however, do so in order to fulfill a lifelong desire to experience true happiness.

5

Throughout the day, your feelings and thoughts about yourself will probably change now and then depending on your experiences. Your boss’s reaction to your sales report, the treatment you receive from friends and family, and the daily changes in your romantic relationship can all affect how you view yourself at a particular moment in time. However, self-esteem refers to something more basic than these ordinary fluctuations in mood. If you are someone with high self-esteem, then no matter what occurs during your day, you will usually maintain a positive self-image. In contrast, if your self-esteem is inherently low, you will be much more susceptible to the ups and downs of everyday life, and your feelings about yourself will likely alternate dramatically between positive and negative.

6

Spring has been abnormally cold and rainy this year, causing all kinds of problems for the region’s agriculture industry. From fruit growers to beekeepers, everyone seems to be suffering financially. In fact, the local government has announced that it may offer assistance to area bee farms, due to the fact that a large number of their insects have frozen to death. Because so many worker bees have died, small larvae have been left uncared for, and queen bees are producing fewer eggs. The government also announced a plan to offer millions of dollars in aid to local fruit growers whose crops were damaged. According to a spokesperson, the government is going to offer up to $500,000 to each farm, depending on the extent of the damage.

Unit 07

단문독해

1

Indian arrowheads help archaeologists better understand the lives of Native Americans. For instance, by recording the locations where arrowheads are discovered, archaeologists can create a map of the areas that were Native Americans’ prime hunting grounds for animals. Most arrowheads are found near riverbanks or creeks because the animals which lived in the region were drawn to them for drinking water. For this reason, the areas where Native Americans hunted have become arrowhead collectors’ prime hunting grounds for arrowheads.

2

This is something people use when they want to write. It requires special ink that you can buy in small bottles. A certain amount of the ink can be stored inside of this, and it can be refilled when necessary. On one end of this is a pointed piece of metal called a nib, which is usually made of steel or gold. The main advantage of this is that it is easy to write with.

3

Canadian paper money includes a special feature which is similar to Braille. In the upper right-hand corner of the bills are raised dots that help blind people determine the value of the bills. Likewise, Euros possess textured foil that varies according to the different bills. In fact, over 100 countries around the globe have added features such as these in order to help the blind.

4

According to a survey, the most important aspect of a happy marriage is not how much financial security you have, but how much housework you do. The survey found that couples who distribute the household chores evenly are more likely to have a happy relationship. More traditional ideas of what contributes to a happy marriage, such as the amount of wealth and how many children the couple has, were less important.

⇨ In order to have a happy marriage, it is important to distribute the household chores evenly.

5

Plants that produce fruit do so in order to protect their seeds. Deep inside, covered by the flesh of the fruit, the seeds develop without interference from the outside world. We can tell when the seeds are ready to be sowed, because that is when the fruit turns ripe. When it does, birds and other animals that eat the fruit take in the seeds, carry them around, and distribute them throughout the area, enabling the plant population to increase.

수능독해

1

Fire whirls are rotating columns of flames and wind that can rise up out of wildfires. They are sometimes referred to as “firenadoes,” a combination of the words “fire” and “tornado.” They occur when strong surface winds meet the heated air above the fire, which causes them to rapidly rise and swirl. Although fire whirls aren’t actually tornadoes, their winds can reach speeds of 160 km/h and their temperatures can rise above 1,000 °C. Most fire whirls don’t last for more than a few minutes, but some can last for an hour or more. They can cause serious damage, knocking down trees and spreading the wildfire. Unfortunately, due to their high heat and strong winds, there is little that firefighters can do but wait for them to end.

2

In the highlands in the Andes mountains, there are rocks that look like they are covered with moss. However, this green covering is actually a flowering plant called yareta. It grows at altitudes between 3,200 and 4,500 meters, where the wind almost never stops blowing and the cold temperatures can crack solid stone. To survive in these extreme conditions, yareta grows together, close to the ground. This allows it to retain heat and withstand powerful winds that would destroy most other plants. In addition, its wax-covered leaves aid in the retention of moisture. Yareta’s extremely slow rate of growth also helps it live in the severe environment of the Andes. Because it only grows about 1.5 cm a year, a large patch of yareta could be thousands of years old.

3

If you want to be an entrepreneur, it is difficult to achieve true success without the assistance of someone whom you can look up to — a mentor. Your mentor is the person who is able to guide you through all of the surprises that are a natural part of the business world. A mentor’s help allows you to reach your goals more quickly and with less loss along the way. Your mentor is like an explorer that has already made it to the top of the tall mountain which you have just begun to climb. Being at the peak, he or she has the perfect view from which to watch your progress and steer you around any dangers that happen to be in your path.

4

Every ocean on Earth conceals a mysterious world, with frigid temperatures and creatures that glow with eerie colored light.

This world is known as the “midwater.” Scientists have recently started exploring it, using special submarines with spotlights to observe plants and animals that no one has ever seen before.

By far their most remarkable discovery yet is that nearly all midwater animals possess the ability to produce light, which is known as bioluminescence. Scientists believe they do this to attract a mate, find prey, hide themselves, or scare away predators.

Yet many of the animals seem to produce light for no obvious reason. The explanation for this behavior remains a midwater mystery which future scientists will have to solve.

5

It is well known that the nature of your friends is a major factor in determining just how happy and satisfied you are with your life. Your friends even have the ability to affect your health. These days, people are increasingly turning to their friends when they need support or understanding, instead of communicating their concerns to relatives as they once did. As friends have become more important in our lives, this has escalated our desire to make more of them. Although friendships often develop impulsively between two individuals who share a common interest or experience, there are also certain ways by which you can purposefully get close to people whom you want to be your friends.

6

Parents often feel guilty when they are unable to comfort their children in person. In their eyes, talking on the phone doesn’t have the same effect. To test this belief, researchers conducted an experiment on some young girls. The girls, whose ages were between 7 and 12, were asked to make a presentation in front of many strangers, a situation designed to cause stress. Afterwards, they were divided into three groups. The first group was comforted by their mothers in person, the second group was comforted over the phone, and the third group was not comforted at all. The researchers then checked their level of a calming hormone called oxytocin. Against expectations, all of the girls who were comforted by their mothers, whether in person or over the phone, showed approximately the same levels of oxytocin.

It would appear that vocal comfort from a parent provides as much relief as comfort given through direct interaction.

Unit 08

단문독해

1

Since keyboards are everywhere, neither children nor adults need to write with a pen anymore. However, studies show that writing by hand is important for brain development; specifically, it improves the parts of brain related to motor skills and creativity. A psychologist who tested elementary school students found they not only wrote faster but also generated more ideas when writing essays by hand. This shows that students should be taught to write not only with a keyboard but with pens as well.

⇨ Writing by hand can develop the areas of the brain related to motor skills and creativity.

2

Before you get out of bed in the morning, try stretching each section of your limbs for 15 seconds. Begin by stretching your fingers, then move on to your hand, wrist, and arm. Repeat this process with the other arm. Now it’s time to stretch your toes, feet, ankles, and legs. This simple exercise warms up your muscles and promotes better blood flow throughout your entire body.

⇨ Stretching your limbs for a short time warms up your body’s muscles and promotes your blood flow.

3

When you purchase a book, you obtain ownership of it, just as you pay to possess electronics, clothes, furniture, or other goods. But to truly possess the book, you must make it a part of you. The best way to do this is by writing your own personal notes in it as you read. Book lovers refer to this act as taking full ownership of the book.

⇨ You can take complete ownership of a book by writing your own personal notes in it while you read.

4

An object’s history, including who has touched it, can greatly affect its value. For example, in 1996, former President John F. Kennedy’s golf clubs were sold for $772,500! Some charities have taken advantage of “the magical touch” by auctioning clothes that were worn by famous actors. But they should be careful not to wash them before auctioning them. A celebrity’s sweat can actually increase the clothes’ value!

5

Some companies hire temporary workers to cut costs by paying lower wages. Security and cleaning crews are often hired on a temporary basis. They are not protected by the same rules as full-time, regular workers, so they receive fewer benefits as well as lower wages. Their employers also cut their bonuses and holiday time to save money.

⇨ Temporary workers have the disadvantages of fewer benefits and lower wages. In addition, their companies reduce their bonuses and holiday time to cut costs.

수능독해

1

Sometimes, an object’s shape is as important as the material it is made of. Have you ever tried squeezing the ends of an egg between the palms of your hands? It doesn’t break! If you squeeze it in the middle, though, you’ll end up with a mess on your hands. The reason for this is the egg’s special shape, which minimizes strain by distributing weight evenly around the shell. You may have noticed that eggs are never stored horizontally. Rather, cartons are designed so that the ends of the eggs always point up. And when hens incubate their eggs, the eggs are positioned in the same way, with their narrower end pointing upwards. Thanks to this design, hens can sit on their eggs without breaking them. So while eggshells are fragile, their special shape makes them strong in certain conditions.

2

Have you ever wondered why buttons on women’s clothes are placed on the left side while men’s buttons are placed on the right? According to historians, this tradition started in the Victorian era. Back then, it was the custom for upper-class women to employ servants to dress them. Given that most people are right-handed, women’s buttons were placed on the side of the clothes that was to the servant’s right. This made it easier for the servants to button them up. Wealthy men, on the other hand, dressed themselves, so their buttons were placed on the right side. Eventually, even those who could not afford servants copied this trend, and to this day, buttons in women’s fashion remain on the left side.

3

When it came to speaking in public, the American president Ronald Reagan was a perfectionist. He was an excellent speaker, but he was also always nervous before he spoke. In my opinion, that’s the sign of a good speaker. Good speakers are always nervous because they truly care about doing a good job. In Reagan’s case, he dealt with his nervousness by always starting his speeches with a joke. The audience’s laughter helped him relax. Also, during their laughter, the audience would get comfortable and prepare for the coming speech. Therefore, if you’re worried about giving a speech, it’s a good idea to come up with an appropriate joke to start with. If you’re not a naturally humorous person, ask a friend who is.

4

Inakadate is a small village in northeastern Japan famous for its rice. In the 1990s, Japanese rice consumption was in decline, so rice sales in the village were dropping. Nevertheless, rice remained the village’s main source of income. In order to help the village, a public relations company came up with a plan. They wanted to utilize Inakadate’s greatest resource, its rice, to attract people. They were able to do this by combining agriculture and digital technology. Huge artistic images were created in the village’s fields by planting different colored varieties of rice. The company also created a new technology called “rice-code” that allowed visitors to purchase rice from a website simply by taking pictures of the rice art with their phone. A total of 251,320 visitors, about 30 times the population of the village, came to see these unique creations. Meanwhile, rice sales rose 380% from the previous year.

5

It is common to find yourself in situations in which you feel you have to quickly come up with a fake excuse to get out of something you don’t want to do. Maybe you’re invited to a coworker’s party and just don’t have the time. Or your boss asks if you’ll volunteer to work on Saturday when you know you don’t need to. So out come the excuses. “I can’t! I have a family funeral to go to.” Or, “I’m having a tooth pulled that day. Sorry.” The next time you find yourself in this kind of situation and are getting ready to make up a fake excuse, stop. There’s no need to justify why you can’t make it or to adjust your schedule to accommodate someone else’s. You don’t have to say “yes,” but you don’t have to lie either.

6

As populations expand, the number of deaths increases as well. By the year 2020, approximately 380,000 people will die annually, and the current burial system will be putting a growing burden on the environment. Therefore, governments are offering guidelines to encourage the adoption of eco-friendly burial practices. Typically, these involve cremating the dead and burying their remains in park-like settings. Not only is this good for the environment, but it probably meets the approval of those who find the sight of public cemeteries somewhat gloomy. In addition, it would likely lessen people’s resistance to new cemeteries being built in their neighborhoods. Many European countries have already made attempts to introduce such burial techniques, and reactions have been promising.

Unit 09

단문독해

1

When walking around a crowded neighborhood, you’ll often see women with one fingernail painted a different color. Commonly known as a “feature nail,” it has become a popular trend. It appeals to many women, allowing them to be creative without much effort. They can look trendy without visiting a hair stylist or clothes store. It’s also inexpensive — a bottle of nail polish only costs a few dollars. What’s more, it’s easy to paint the nail a new color — using a little nail polish remover, they’ll have a blank canvas to repaint in a few minutes.

2

Moving to a new city, a family got rid of 80% of their possessions. But instead of missing them, the family felt free for the first time. Soon, they wondered if they could take the idea even further. After learning about the impact garbage has on the environment and why it is so important that we reduce it, they decided on a zero-waste lifestyle. They stopped buying products with plastic packaging and used reusable containers instead. It was a great success. In one whole year, the entire family produced so little trash that it could fit in a single jar.

3

Whether it’s two friends chatting together or a stranger asking directions on the street, talking to someone with your hands in your pockets is common in America. Generally speaking, this is a way to show you are at ease. In Korea, though, it is likely to be considered rude, especially if you are speaking to an older person. They may assume you are showing disrespect or don’t care about what they are saying.

4

Rachel Cohen is a talented musician, and she uses her skills to help children with ADD. To help them prepare to learn, she takes them on what she calls a “sound journey.” The children all lie down on the floor with their eyes closed and listen to the sounds of the music she plays. She believes that when the children concentrate on the music, they become much calmer. Later, this experience helps them focus better on their schoolwork.

5

Compared to a CEO or a military general, a teacher may not seem to have much power. But the truth is that teachers have a different, more influential kind of power. Their job is to give young students knowledge about the world so they will be able to make a difference. For this reason, being a teacher will give you more power than any other career you might choose.

수능독해

1

Atlantic puffins are unmistakable because of their black heads, pale cheeks, and bright bills. Their amusing appearance is increased by black-and-red eye marks and orange legs. Each breeding season, the birds arrive in Britain. Their feathers fall out naturally, which makes them unable to fly for a short time, though they still move smoothly and elegantly underwater. Male puffins dig burrows near the sea and make their nests using their own fallen feathers. Thousands of puffins make their nests close together. Once the eggs hatch, the parents can be seen hurrying back and forth with their bills packed with fish for their fast-growing chicks. When bringing food to their chicks, puffins can carry as many as 30 small fish at once. When the winter comes, the puffins leave Britain, not returning until the next breeding season.

2

The quill pen was a writing instrument that remained in use for a long period of time. Introduced some time around 700 AD, this pen was made from the quill of a feather, which was pulled from the left wing of a bird. It was important to use a quill from the left wing because this meant that the feather would curve over the back of the hand when used by right-handed writers. Most quills were taken from geese, but those of the swan were more highly prized, being scarce and thus expensive. If the goal was to make fine line drawings, however, crow quills offered the best results, followed by those of the eagle, owl, and hawk.

3

There’s a big difference between a patent and a trademark, but most people don’t know what it is. Typically granted for a period of 17 years, patents protect both a product’s name and the method for manufacturing it. For instance, the electric razor was patented in 1928 by inventor Jacob Schick. He did this so he could have complete control over his creation. On the other hand, trademarks are names or symbols that are used to identify products and give them a distinct identity in the minds of consumers. Kleenex and Jell-O are examples of trademarks, as is the lion’s head that represents MGM Pictures. Aware of the power of trademarks to promote their products, companies work very hard to protect them and keep other businesses from using them without permission.

4

A fisherman was coming back home for the night, rowing his boat up the river. Exhausted, he set down the oars for a moment and lay down on the bottom of the boat, looking up at the sky. The moon was so bright that he had to close his eyes halfway to look at it. After a few seconds he felt himself nodding off. The night was quiet and the breeze calm, so he decided to throw the anchor overboard and rest. Everything was still. But before long, his boat began gliding back and forth, faster and faster, first touching one bank and then the other. It felt as if some powerful creature was beneath the water, trying to pull him and his boat under the waves.

5

It is normal for teens to go through a process of self-discovery during adolescence, figuring out what kind of person they are and who they want to become. Such a journey is difficult for anyone to make, requiring a lot of time and effort. However, this experience can be much more complicated for adopted teens. This is because, being teens, they are curious about where they came from and thus want to learn more about their birth parents. The biggest question they long to ask is why they were given up for adoption in the first place. They seek the answer to this question not because they resent their adoptive family, but simply because they need to know. Such curiosity is natural for anyone who desires to fully understand themselves.

6

There are many animals whose skin is similar in color to their natural surroundings, which helps them blend in and remain hidden. Others, however, have brilliantly colored skin, with deep yellows, oranges, and pinks covering their bodies. This noticeable coloration is a warning to predators that these animals are poisonous. If predators attempt to eat these creatures, they will get a terrible taste in their mouth or even get sick and die. Interestingly, there are certain species that have evolved skin colors closely imitating those of poisonous animals, even though they themselves are not toxic. This strategy proves effective at fooling potential attackers. Since predators avoid eating brightly colored animals, assuming they are poisonous, the imitators are able to escape being killed.

Predators avoid prey with bright coloration, even though some such animals are merely imitating the appearance of truly poisonous species.

Unit 10

단문독해

1

It is believed that humans’ earliest ancestors used to live in trees and walk on both their arms and legs. However, they later began to walk upright on only their legs due to a change in terrain. This may have begun in eastern and southern Africa. The rocky landscape was likely beneficial to our ancestors, as it gave them shelter and opportunities to trap the animals they used for food. At the same time, it would have required an upright posture to easily scramble and climb over the broken ground.

⇨ The terrain in ancient times, which offered benefits in terms of finding shelter and trapping food, required our ancestors to walk on two legs.

2

Reading Helen Keller’s autobiography has encouraged me to wonder how I might change if I were “blessed” with blindness and deafness for a brief period. I imagine that I would stop taking sight and sound for granted. Living in darkness and silence would certainly fill me with new appreciation for my senses. It also would call my attention to the beauty in daily life.

3

An armed officer led me away from the airport security checkpoint to a small windowless room for further questioning. “This is all just a simple mistake,” I tried to explain. I must have been half asleep when I packed my bag. How could I have been careless enough to leave my pocketknife in my carry-on luggage?

4

According to doctors, hand washing is very important, but few people know how to do it properly. Ideally, people should wash their hands eight times a day for about 30 seconds each time. Experts also indicate that there are certain times people ought to wash their hands: before touching a baby and after coughing, going outdoors, or coming into contact with things like money or animals.

5

There are some important things I wish I had known when I first graduated from high school. Had I known them, I might never have found myself owing as much money as I do. My biggest problem was spending money without thinking carefully first. These days, however, I always pause and take a deep breath before I buy anything. This gives me time to stop myself from doing anything foolish. That really would have been useful when I was 19 years old.

수능독해

1

The term jamais vu means “never seen” in French. In psychology, it refers to a feeling that something is unfamiliar even though it has been experienced many times before. It most commonly occurs when a person briefly fails to recognize a word that he or she already knows. Now, a researcher has found that jamais vu occurs when the brain becomes fatigued. If a person focuses on a word for too long, his or her brain gets tired and the word begins to lose its meaning. In an experiment, he had subjects write the same word 30 times in 60 seconds. Afterward, 68% of the subjects reported that they had experienced jamais vu. One participant said she felt as if she had been spelling something else, while another reported that he couldn’t help doubting that he was writing the correct word.

2

The largest tree-dwelling animals found in Oceania are tree-kangaroos, which in the wild can reach weights of up to 14 kilograms. Along with their unusual size, these creatures are notable for having an impressive digestive system. By analyzing their diet and the contents found in their stomachs, scientists have determined that tree-kangaroos can consume food that would likely kill other animals. Although other animals possess digestive enzymes that help detoxify poisons in some of the foods they eat, tree-kangaroos have an unusual tolerance for toxins that scientists do not fully understand. In the wild, it is believed they survive by eating mostly rainforest leaves, but captive tree-kangaroos have been known to try eggs, insects, small birds, and other meat.

3

Boredom once afforded us essential moments of reflection that helped make our lives more meaningful. For example, the long drive home from work after a frustrating day could offer us the chance to calm down. Feelings of homesickness experienced at the airport before a flight might remind us what truly matters in our life. Unfortunately, moments such as these are no longer empty time for thinking. We have filled them up with electronic gadgets and distractions. And we are too preoccupied with our smartphone games and text message alerts to realize what we are giving up — a part of our humanity. As human beings, our purpose is not merely survival. Boredom permits us to exit the external world so that we can reflect on an internal one.

4

Although my mother has always been very healthy, she was recently told by her doctors that she had breast cancer. Shortly after, she had the tumor removed, and she is now beginning chemotherapy. I don’t want to treat her as if she were seriously ill, so I’ve tried to remain cheerful and humorous. Unfortunately, my father is taking the situation very seriously. He insists that my mother must remain in the house. If she does go out, he makes her wear a surgical mask. The doctors did say that she needs to be careful due to a low white blood cell count, but I’m starting to think that my father is only making things worse. I tried to talk to him, but he would not listen to a word I said. I just don’t know what to do.

5

What if all the adults in our community took a direct interest in ensuring that every child in our community wasn’t being abused? And what if our government offered a range of prevention programs? Along with helping individuals in need, these programs could focus on changing undesirable social behavior by educating the general public. If all this happened, it would likely result in an improved system. It would protect our children from abuse and neglect not just in their home environments but in every part of their lives. In the past, our child abuse prevention strategies focused on homes and families rather than communities and society as a whole. That, however, needs to change. Abuse prevention should move beyond the existing child welfare system and into the sectors of the everyday world where children spend much of their time.

6

You may have noticed that products at some supermarkets are now labeled with the store’s name. Such items without the names of familiar brands are known in Korea as PB products — private brand. These items are produced specially for the store and distributed by the store itself. As a result, they don’t require much advertising, since they’re sold only to customers that shop at that specific store. In addition, the supermarkets are supplied with PB products at a lower price because they can buy in bulk. Together, these advantages result in products that are available to consumers at a lower cost. Yet, in spite of this, some people have a critical view of PB products. They complain that competing companies have little choice but to produce low-cost, poor-quality goods that can compete with cheap PB products. They believe that this reduces the options available to consumers in the long run.

Unit 11

단문독해

1

Recently, cardboard has been used to make a new kind of bicycle. It is different from a normal bike in many ways. The cardboard is composed of special organic materials that make the bike waterproof and fireproof. The tires are made of recycled rubber, and a car timing belt is used instead of a heavy chain. Even the brake mechanism and the wheel and pedal bearings are made of reprocessed materials. The cardboard bike is estimated to weigh 65 percent less than the average metal bicycle.

2

In ancient Rome, it was thought that sneezing provided evil spirits with an opportunity to enter the body. Sneezing was also one of the first symptoms of the plague. So, when Rome was seized by a deadly outbreak of the plague, people attributed it to evil spirits. To combat the spread of the disease, the pope instructed people to pray. In response, people began using the phrase “God bless you” to help protect sneezers from the illness.

3

There are some people who use facts to deceive others. They give you true information, but leave out parts that should be included, creating a false impression. Imagine if one of your coworkers told you that he won a special “honorable mention” award in a photography contest. You might think he’s a great photographer. But later you found out that everyone who entered the contest was given the same special award. A half-truth like this can be just as bad as a lie.

4

When the brand name Coca-Cola was first translated into Chinese, it came out sounding like ke-kou-ke-la. This was close to the phonetic sounds of the name. But the translation that had been chosen meant “bite the wax tadpole” or “female horse stuffed with wax.” After much research, Coke came up with a better alternative, ko-kou-ko-le, which is still used in China today. The new name can be loosely translated as “happiness in the mouth.”

5

You might think that sunlight is the main factor that influences when a flower blooms. Actually, it is determined by the amount of uninterrupted darkness the plant receives. Plants that flower during long periods of darkness and brief periods of sunlight are known as short-day plants. Daisies and poppies are examples of plants that have the opposite requirements. These plants, which bloom when days are long and nights are short, are called long-day plants.

수능독해

1

Paper money in India comes in several different values, from five rupees to 1,000 rupees. Now, however, there is a new bill available: the zero rupee note. Although it is not legal currency, this bill was created in 2007 by a nonprofit organization to help fight corruption. In India, bribery is recognized as a pervasive problem. Government officials often refuse to provide free services unless they are given money first. Therefore, these bills were created to be used by people who have been asked to pay a bribe. The zero rupee notes have various phrases written on them such as “Eliminate corruption at all levels.” The goal is to shame government officials who accept bribes and to let them know that there are groups who are fighting this type of dishonest behavior.

2

In 1993, Robert Young, a researcher with the department of psychology at the University of Texas, discovered that our perception of others is influenced by their names. The results of several experiments conducted among college-aged subjects demonstrated that people with names that were more common in the past than they are now were assumed to be less popular and intelligent than people with names that are more common now than they were in the past. Similarly, we develop expectations about people based on their appearance, as though looks and behavior must match. Perhaps this is why we are shocked when someone acts in a way that doesn’t fit his or her appearance. For example, we wouldn’t expect someone with an innocent face to behave violently.

3

For centuries, people have worried about machines taking jobs away from humans; but when this does occur, new jobs tend to appear in their place. After machines ended the demand for skilled weavers during the Industrial Revolution, for example, workers were needed to assemble newly invented items, including automobiles, airplanes and electronics. These days, the jobs of white-collar office workers are being wiped out by new technology. However, new occupations are already popping up in their place. These jobs require empathy and long-range planning, two things that machines — even those equipped with artificial intelligence — are incapable of. The fact is that although machines are automating more and more office processes, rather than sending office workers to the unemployment line, they are simply freeing up human brains for more important work.

4

Blinking is something that we do unconsciously to shield our eyes from harm. The majority of the human eyeball is protected by a bony socket. Yet a portion of it — approximately one tenth of the total eyeball — is exposed when our eyes are open. This leaves the eye, one of the most sensitive and delicate organs in the body, vulnerable to a variety of irritants and particles floating in the air. Fortunately, our eyes are equipped with an effective safeguard: blinking. Blinking performs two functions that help protect our vision. First, it lubricates the exposed portion of the eyeball to ensure that our sight remains clear. And, second, it deposits a thin layer of fluid on the exposed surface that protects it from particles in the air.

5

Sabrina, a cat that fell from a 32-story building and landed on concrete, suffered only a chipped tooth and a mild lung injury. The ability of cats to fall gracefully, and relatively unharmed, from great heights is not fully understood by humans, though high-speed cameras have revealed some details. As a cat falls, it first twists its body to put itself in an upright position. Next, it extends all four legs outward. In this position, the cat’s body functions almost like a parachute to decrease its falling speed. By increasing air resistance in this way, the cat is slowed during its descent. It is a successful strategy; compared to humans, who fall at an average speed of 195 km per hour, cats drop quite slowly, averaging speeds of about 96 km per hour.

6

The fruit of the mango tree has been appreciated by the people of India for about 3,000 years. We know this to be the case because their beliefs about the symbolic meanings of this fruit were recorded in important ancient texts. Throughout parts of India, the mango is considered to represent many positive things, including good luck, fertility, love, and wealth. Its leaves are used for decoration during wedding ceremonies, as they are said to ensure that new couples will have lots of children. Additionally, as a testament to the fruit’s cultural significance, references to the mango can be seen in Indian art, design, poetry, and architecture.

Unit 12

단문독해

1

Researchers have been experimenting with Salmonella bacteria, which cause food poisoning, as a possible cure for cancer. They are hoping that they will destroy cancerous cells when injected into a patient’s body. The researchers have found that Salmonella bacteria contain a protein that manipulates the process of cells, using a certain enzyme to kill them. They use the protein to make the body produce large quantities of this enzyme, leading to cell death. The scientists are studying whether this process can be focused on cancerous cells, eventually killing them.

2

Many experts these days are focusing on an increasingly troubling issue: modern male teens are feeling more anxious than ever about their appearance. Overexposed to media images of muscular men, they are now experiencing what teenage girls have been dealing with for decades. Today’s teenage boys fear they will never look the same as the idealized images promoted by popular culture.

3

Hanging Stockings: A Christmas Tradition

On Christmas Eve, children hang stockings near the fireplace. This tradition comes from a story about Father Christmas, who once dropped some gold coins as he was climbing down a chimney to deliver presents. The coins would have fallen into the ashes, but instead they landed in a stocking that had been hung to dry on the mantle. That’s why, to this day, children hang stockings on Christmas Eve.

4

Freerice.com is a website that is helping feed the hungry. Visitors to the site are quizzed on the meaning of English words, and for each question they get right, a United Nations charity receives ten grains of rice. So far, over a billion grains have been donated. Through this simple concept, Freerice.com has provided enough rice to feed 50,000 of the world’s hungry for a day.

5

Overeating is one of the main reasons why so many people are overweight these days, but few people even realize that they’re doing it. Part of the problem is that over the years, restaurants have “supersized” the portions of food that they serve on a plate. Research shows that hamburgers have grown by more than 100% in the past 30 years, and servings of pasta are nearly 500% bigger. People have become used to eating these large portions and don’t even notice them.

수능독해

1

One night, I heard a knock at the door of my small seaside hotel. When I opened it, I saw a tired-looking, elderly man. “Sorry to bother you,” he said. “I’ve been out fishing all day. Can I get a room?" I invited him in and asked him to sit while my staff prepared a room. While he waited, he explained that he was a retired salesman, but his daughter’s husband had fallen ill. He was a fisherman, and his family relied on him for food and money. So the old man had started taking his son-in-law’s boat out every day, fishing until the sun went down. It was hard work, but instead of complaining about it, he just thanked me politely for the room. Every time I think of that old man, I’m reminded of the importance of gratitude.

2

Many Americans are fascinated by risky sports, and the number of people who participate in them is climbing. Injuries from activities such as skateboarding and snowboarding continue to rise by large margins every year. What is the reason for this risky behavior? Some psychologists say it is a natural human reaction to changing times. In previous generations, disasters such as epidemics, stock-market crashes, and large-scale wars meant that survival itself was often uncertain. However, that notion has all but disappeared in much of today’s world. Because most of the risk has been removed from our everyday lives, people feel that they must seek out difficult challenges to prove themselves.

3

Thomas Edison is well known as the inventor of many important devices, including the light bulb, the phonograph, and the movie projector. But few people know that he also played a big role in inventing the electric chair. It was 1887, and lawmakers in New York were searching for a method of execution that was more humane than hanging. One legislator had come up with the idea of using electricity to kill prisoners in a relatively painless and quick way, and he wrote to Edison to ask for help in designing such an execution method. Edison experimented with several devices, testing different voltages of electricity and putting a number of dogs, cats, and farm animals to death, before he finally succeeded in developing the electric chair.

4

Researchers in the U.K. have carried out an experiment to discover whether an octopus can unscrew the lid of a jar with its tentacles.

The octopus whose intelligence and memory were tested was named Roger, and the researchers built a gigantic glass aquarium for him. In the experiment, a jar with a crab inside it was lowered into the tank.

On his first attempt, Roger struggled with the jar for 20 minutes but finally managed to unscrew the lid. The experiment was repeated over the next three days, and before the final day the octopus had mastered the skill, opening the jar in less than a minute.

However, when the experiment was conducted again after a few days, Roger had forgotten what he’d learned. Apparently, octopuses have terrible short-term memories.

5

It was 4:30 in the afternoon, and Maria was driving home from another hectic day in her London office. The December sun was already falling below the horizon, and the sky was turning gray. The leafless trees lining the road were almost invisible in the thick fog, and ice crystals were being blown onto her windshield from the high piles of dirty snow along the roadside. Inside the cold car, it was terribly quiet. She wanted to listen to the radio, but it had been stolen just last week when she had parked in an alleyway in a bad neighborhood. There was nothing to do but stare at the blank faces of all the other commuters who were slowly driving home.

6

On the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, thousands of fans traveled to Graceland, his former home, to pay their respects. Many, however, did not attend. “This isn’t the anniversary of his death,” they said, “because he never died.” These fans have always refused to believe the official reports saying their hero died of heart failure in 1977. Suspicion began when Presley’s autopsy documents mysteriously vanished. And there were the words he himself often said during concerts: “I don’t look good now, but I will in my coffin.” What was he trying to communicate to his fans? There are some theories that he was planning to fake his own death. Some believe Presley found a way to escape fame and return to normal life, while others feel he is hiding from gangsters in a witness protection program.

Certain mysteries surrounding Elvis Presley’s death give hope to people who feel he still might be alive.

Unit 13

단문독해

1

Some people are born with an insensitivity to pain. Although individuals suffering from this condition can feel basic sensations such as hot and cold, they cannot tell if a hot drink is burning their mouth or not. Because of this, they often have injuries that go undetected for long periods. Children who are insensitive to pain, for example, may repeatedly suffer from burns because they can’t tell when something is hot enough to hurt them. An accumulation of these injuries can reduce a person’s life expectancy unless immediate medical action is taken.

⇨ People who are insensitive to pain frequently suffer undetected injuries, which can make their life expectancy shorter.

2

Many animals eat the leaves of plants. For the plants, however, this is not a good thing, since they use their leaves to create the energy they need to survive. So, to discourage animals from feeding on their leaves, plants may grow thorns and needles, or their leaves may contain certain chemicals that are toxic to animals. If the animals feed on the leaves of these plants, they will get sick.

⇨ To protect their leaves, plants grow thorns and needles or produce certain chemicals that are toxic to animals.

3

Long before the first Europeans set foot in North America, the continent was inhabited by tribes of people now known as Native Americans. They all share a strikingly Asian facial structure. This indicates that, thousands of years ago, they may have migrated to North America from Asia across a land bridge connecting the two.

4

As soon as we hear the word “fruit,” we think of something sweet and juicy, like a tasty apple or peach. But peas, beans, and peanuts are fruits too. They just happen to belong to the category of “dry fruits,” which are cousins of the fleshy fruits despite being radically different. Just like one human family may include both a surgeon and a sailor, there are two very different types of fruit, fleshy and dry.

5

Humans have always been fascinated with animals. Whether they are cute or dangerous, they are a lot of fun to watch. For this reason, wildlife documentaries are constantly being made. And the filmmakers are always looking for ways to film animals doing things that have never been seen before. But don’t animals have a right to privacy, just like we do? I think it’s time we left these animals alone.

⇨ The writer insists that people should respect animals’ right to privacy by stopping wildlife filming.

수능독해

1

While she was alive, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo was primarily recognized as the wife of Diego Rivera, the famous muralist. But ever since her death, Kahlo’s influence and popularity have increased, and today she is quite famous in her own right. She painted a number of unique self-portraits in the 1930s and 40s, and these are widely sought by collectors. In fact, in 1990, Kahlo became the first Mexican artist to have a painting sell for more than $1 million at an auction. Though her most well-known works revolve around self-exploration, many of Kahlo’s paintings deal with the political and social history of Mexico as well. Because of this, the Mexican government listed her work as a national treasure in 1985.

2

There is a layer of natural oil called sebum that covers your skin, protecting it by making it waterproof. When you get caught in the rain, take a quick shower, or wash your hands before dinner, the sebum prevents your skin from getting soaked. But what about the times when you’re in water for longer periods, such as when you spend all day playing in a pool? The fact is there’s a limited amount of sebum on your skin at any given time, and prolonged exposure to water can actually wash it off. Once it’s gone, the water is free to penetrate your skin. That’s why spending a long time in the pool can cause your fingers and toes to wrinkle.

3

As scientists learn more and more about genetic manipulation, they may soon have the technology necessary for bringing back extinct species. There is actually a name for this — de-extinction. One of the most talked about de-extinction projects is the possibility of bringing back the mammoth, a large, hairy relative of the elephant that died out thousands of years ago. The process would involve inserting DNA from a frozen mammoth into an Asian elephant. Although this wouldn’t lead to an actual mammoth, it would create a hybrid with some distinct mammoth traits, such as long, thick hair and the ability to withstand low temperatures. Such traits would allow the endangered Asian elephant to expand its habitat to colder regions. In this way, de-extinction could actually help conserve species that have not yet gone extinct.

4

Through the pouring rain, I could just barely make out the outline of a building. I slammed on the brakes and turned onto a dirt road. As the building got closer, I could see that it was an abandoned church. I stopped the car next to it and ran as fast as I could toward an old wooden door that was practically falling off. That’s when the hailstones started to fall. The wind was becoming louder, and just before I ran into the church, I saw on the horizon what looked like a dark tornado touching the ground. Inside, the sound of the storm was deafening. All I could do was wait and pray that it didn’t pick me up and carry me away.

5

Sam was walking alone on the beach when he came upon a tidal pool. To his surprise, he saw a baby dolphin swimming around in the pool. Sam quickly realized that the dolphin was trying to find a way out; it was trapped. He knew he had to figure out how to help it get back into the ocean. If he waited much longer, the tidal pool would dry up and the dolphin would die. Even though the dolphin was small, Sam knew it was too heavy for him to lift. He looked around and found a large, sharp rock. Using it as a shovel, he dug a long, shallow hole from the pool to the ocean. As soon as he stepped aside, the dolphin spotted the opening and made its escape.

6

It’s great to see so many people interested in joining the cross-country running team. However, before you make your decision, I want to go over some things. This sport requires months of training to achieve the stamina and strength you need, so there are going to be demanding workouts three hours a day, including Saturdays. You’ll have Sundays off, but I’m going to recommend that you spend an hour or so lifting weights so that your body remains active. Our races will be on Saturdays, and we’ll often have to travel long distances the night before to get there. This means we’ll often be returning late on Saturday nights as well. If you value your weekend social life more than your commitment to the sport, this team isn’t for you.

Unit 14

단문독해

1

People are far too busy these days to have family dinners together. That’s unfortunate, as they have a strong effect on a child’s ability to speak. Research tells us that the more often families eat together, the more likely it is that a child will learn to speak well. This is because family meals are opportunities for children to have conversations with adults. On top of that, they observe how adults communicate with one another. It’s an invaluable way to improve a child’s language skills and vocabulary.

⇨ Family meals improve children’s speaking ability by giving them chances to watch how adults communicate, as well as to have conversations with adults.

2

Two groups of teenagers were each shown a photograph on a social networking site. The only difference was that one photo had many “likes,” while the other had only a few. Seeing the one with a lot of likes activated what is called the “social brain,” as well as the nucleus accumbens. These regions of the brain appear to play a large role in the powerful influence of peer pressure on teenagers. When the teenagers in the experiment saw the photo with more likes, there was a much higher probability that they would like it.

3

Copper has become so expensive that thieves are ripping air conditioners apart just to get it. Businesses have been strengthening their security systems, while the police have been alerted of many more cases. Hard as businesses may try to stop copper theft, their attempts have proven unsuccessful, as the thieves focus on locations that are hard to guard, such as construction sites and unoccupied properties.

4

Breakfast is an important way for adults to start the day, and it is even more crucial for youngsters. Not only do kids need to eat sufficient nutrients to stay healthy, but they also need to do so to do well in school. Therefore, it’s a good idea to introduce your children to healthy eating habits at a young age. The sooner you get them into the habit of having a healthy breakfast, the more likely they are to eat well as adults.

5

In the past, it was generally young children who wandered off and got lost. But these days, it’s elderly people who usually go missing. This is because many people are suffering from dementia. It’s a disease that causes people to easily forget things. Sometimes people with dementia confuse the present with the past. So if you ever see older people who look confused, you should check to make sure they’re okay. Their family might be looking for them!

⇨ Dementia is a disorder that makes people easily forget things and confuse the present with the past.

수능독해

1

Unhappy people tend to share some common habits, including being judgmental, complaining about everything, and always assuming the worst. But as the great American broadcaster Hugh Downs once said, “A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” In other words, the best way to find happiness is to make positive changes in your own life. If you can learn to substitute your negative thoughts and emotions for positive ones and enjoy the things you have, you can be truly happy. Of course, life isn’t easy, but you have to try to look at the bright side of everything and to laugh and smile as often as you can. You are the only person with the power to change your life.

2

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is located in Brazil in the northeastern state of Maranhão. Covering about 1,500 kilometers, it is a low area of sand dunes with neither plants nor trees. Although it may resemble a typical desert, the park has a regular rainy season occurring at the start of each year. When these rains occur, the water collects between the sand dunes, forming blue and green lakes in the middle of the desert. The more it rains, the larger they grow. They are largest from July to September and are home to a surprisingly large variety of fish, despite the fact that they nearly disappear during the dry season. The park is a protected area, with no roads passing through it. The only people who live there make their living catching fish from these lakes.

3

When you first meet your true love, you might have a strange feeling that you already know him or her. It might seem as if you have met him or her somewhere before, either in a previous life or perhaps in a dream.

In Plato’s Symposium, Aristophanes claims that this feeling of familiarity can be explained by the fact that your loved one is your long-lost “other half” and that your two bodies were once joined together.

According to this idea, every human being was originally both male and female, with four arms, four legs, and two faces looking in opposite directions on a single head.

These beings were so powerful that Zeus decided to cut them in two. Since then, every man and woman has been filled with a strong desire to rejoin the one from whom he or she was separated.

4

It is rattlesnakes that people fear most when they are hiking in the wilderness of the American Southwest or other parts of the country. These snakes, unique to the Americas, deserve to be treated with caution due to their fatally poisonous bite. Actually, there are around 30 species of rattlesnakes, with the eastern diamondback being the most deadly. Rattlesnakes are generally about two meters in length. And their most telling characteristic is located on the tip of their tails: the rattle. To warn that they are about to strike, snakes shake it, making a sound. Grown layer by layer with each shedding of their skin, the rattle is a group of loosely connected hollow segments.

5

Each human cell contains a structure which carries that particular person’s genes. Our genes are the things that determine how we look and act. At the end of each of these structures are sticky bodies called telomeres. They seem to determine the lifespan of our cells, and consequently of us as well. Each time a cell divides, its telomeres get shorter, until finally they are so short that the cell fails to divide and dies. However, scientists have found that by adding a certain enzyme to a cell, they can prevent its telomeres from shortening. With this addition, the cell remains young and continues to divide. Judging from this discovery, the human lifespan is likely to reach 180 years or more before the end of the century.

6

American artist Winslow Homer is primarily known for his dramatic images of the ocean. For Homer, the struggle between man and nature was one of the most important themes of the American nation, and it was this struggle that was reflected in his work. Later in life, Homer settled in a small town on the Maine coast, which offered him constant exposure to sea scenes. The people he featured in his paintings — primarily fishermen and ship captains — were not so much specific individuals as representations of human qualities like courage and determination. Just as Homer gave these figures a universal quality, so he did for the ocean itself. Homer’s oceans were always violent, passionate expanses of rough water.