单选题 In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell argues that "social epidemics" are driven in large part by the actions of a tiny minority of special individuals, often called influentials, who are unusually informed, persuasive, or well connected. The idea is intuitively compelling--we think we see it happening all the time--but it doesn't explain how ideas actually spread.
The supposed importance of influentials derives from a plausible-sounding but largely untested theory called the "two-step flow of communication": Information flows from the media to the influentials and from them to everyone else. Marketers have embraced the two-step flow because it suggests that if they can just find and influence the influentials, those select people will do most of the work for them. The theory also seems to explain the sudden and unexpected popularity of certain looks, brands, or neighborhoods. In many such cases, a cursory search for causes finds that some small group of people was wearing, promoting or developing whatever it is before anyone else paid attention. Anecdotal evidence of this kind fits nicely with the idea that only certain special people can drive trends.
In their recent work, however, some researchers have come up with the finding that influentials have far less impact on social epidemics than is generally supposed. In fact, they don't seem to be required at all.
The researchers' argument stems from a simple observation about social influence, with the exception of a few celebrities like Oprah Winfrey--whose outside presence is primarily a function of media, not interpersonal influence--even the most influential members of a population simply don't interact with that many others. Yet it is precisely these non-celebrity influentials who, according to the two-step-flow theory, are supposed to drive social epidemics, by influencing their friends and colleagues directly. For a social epidemic to occur, however, each person so affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances, who must in turn influence theirs, and so on; and just how many others pay attention to each of these people has little to do with the initial influential. If people in the network just two degrees removed from the initial influential prove resistant, for example, the cascade of change won't propagate very far or affect many people.
Building on the basic truth about interpersonal influence, the researchers studied the dynamics of populations, manipulating a number of variables relating to people's ability to influence others and their tendency to be influenced.

单选题 By citing the book The Tipping Point the author intends to ______.

A. analyze the consequences of social epidemics
B. discuss influentials' function in spreading ideas
C. exemplify people's intuitive response, to social epidemics
D. describe the essential characteristics of influentials

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的Tipping Point，可以定位于第1段。 [解析] 文章第1段在提到《引爆潮流》一书后，就说到了作者在书中争论了社会流行趋势很大程度上是由被称为“有号召力者”影响的，而且后文也是在讨论influentials在流行趋势中所扮演的角色和发挥的作用，故选B。 [避错] 选项A：分析社会流行趋势的结果。选项C：举例说明人们对社会流行趋势的本能反应。选项D：描述有号召力者身上的必备品质。这三项在文章中都没有提及。 [点睛] 正确选项中的influentials' function正是对原文的概括。

单选题 The author suggests that the "two-step-flow theory" ______.

A. serves as a solution to marketing problems
B. has helped explain certain prevalent trends
C. has won support from influentials
D. requires solid evidence for its validity

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的two-step-flow theory，可以定位于第2段。 [解析] 文章第2段提到，influentials的重要性只是猜测，而这一猜测即是来源于two-step-flow theory，而且段落最后提到了一项调查发现，引领潮流的人其实是特定的一组人群，而并非所谓的influentials。即作者认为所谓的二级理论仍需要可靠证据来证实，故选D。 [避错] 选项A：作为市场问题的一种解决方式。作者提到“二级传播”理论被很多市场商人应用，这只是在陈述一个客观事实，并非是作者对该理论的看法，故排除。选项B：帮助解释了特定的流行趋势。与原文相悖，文章提到这一理论证据不足，故排除。选项C：得到了有号召力者的支持。文章中没有提到。 [点睛] 正确选项中的solid evidence是对原文第2段内容的概括。

单选题 What the researchers have observed recently shows that ______.

A. the power of influence goes with social interactions
B. interpersonal links can be enhanced through the media
C. influentials have more channels to reach the public
D. most celebritiea enjoy wide media attention

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干，可以定位于第3、4段。 [解析] 文章第3段中提出，在最近研究中，研究人员发现有号召力者对社会潮流的影响力远没有人们所想的那样大，第4段指出反而是那些非著名人物的号召力更大一些，而且是需要人们层层传递信息，互相影响，才能使某件事物成为潮流。故选A。 [避错] 选项B：人与人之间的联系可以通过媒体促进。文章中列举了奥普拉的例子，提到了媒体的作用，这里只是说明了媒体的功能是可以广泛传播信息的，但并未提到其对人们之间联系的作用，故排除。选项C：有号召力者有很多渠道可以接触公众。原文没有提及研究人员的内容与此有关。选项D：大多数的名人都很享受媒体所带来的广泛关注度。文章中没有提及。 [点睛] 本题需要考生对文章出现的信息进行综合考虑，正确选项中的social interactions是对原文中对于人们互相影响，传播信息的概括。

单选题 The underlined phrase "these people" in paragraph 4 refers to the ones who ______.

A. stay outside the network of social influence
B. have little contact with the source of influence
C. are influenced and then influence others
D. are influenced by the initial influential

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干，可以定位于第4段。 [解析] 文章中，在提到these people之前，说到“每个有影响力的人一定是先影响其熟悉的人，这些熟悉的人又会继续影响他们熟悉的人，以此类推”，而these people所在的部分提到这些人与最初、有影响力的人是无关的，由此看出应该是指没有直接接触influential的人，同时这些人都受到了他人的影响，然后再去影响别人，故选C。 [避错] 选项A：在社会影响的人际网之外的人。选项B：与有影响力的发源处没有联系的人。选项D：是受最初影响者的影响的人。这三项均无法从文章中推出。 [点睛] 该题难度较大，由于文中出现了多处人称词，使得考生对于these people的指代产生疑惑，这时，需要考生仔细分析句子结构，同时要紧扣段落主旨，以便找出答案。

单选题 What is the essential element in the dynamics of social influence?

A. The eagerness to be accepted
B. The impulse to influence others
C. The readiness to be influenced
D. The inclination to rely on others

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的dynamics of social influence，可以定位于最后一段。 [解析] 文章最后一段提到dynamics of populations时指出，该研究掌握了一系列的变化，该变化包括人们影响他人的能力，以及被他人影响的趋势。故选C。 [避错] 选项A：被接受的渴望。文章中没有提及。选项B：想要影响他人的冲动。不准确，文章中说的是影响他人的能力。选项D：依赖他人的倾向。文章中没有提及。 [点睛] 正确选项中的readiness是对原文中tendency的同义转述。