Text 3（无错版）

来自Harvard Business review

命题组改版过的真题

In his (注意：原版加了best-selling) book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Aladuell 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, (注意：原版中间加了—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（注：原版其实是my colleague Peter Dodds and I） have come up with the finding（注：原版其实就是found） that influentials have far less impact on social epidemics than is generally supposed. In fact, they don’t seem to be required of all.

The researchers’（注：原版是Our）argument stems from a simple observation about social influence, with the exception of a few celebrities like Oprah Winfrey — whose outsize 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 noncelebrity 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（注：原版是Dodds and I） studied the dynamics of social contagion by conducting thousands of computer simulations of populations, manipulating a number of variables relating to people’s ability to influence others and their tendency to be influenced.

31. 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]discuss influentials’ function in spreading ideas

【分析】A错误的原因是第一段乃至全文并没有探讨社会时尚的结果；C错误的原因是全文也没有举例证明人民在社会时尚面前是作何本能反应的。D错误的原因是文章没有描写名人的本质特征，所以根据第一段后面的内容，应该选B，即讨论名人对于想法或观念的流行这件事，到底有何功能。

32. 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]requires solid evidence for its validity

【分析】：文章第二段首句But转折词后 …… but largely untested theory 以及中间句子：The theory also seems to explain  所以选D。

33. 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 celebrities enjoy wide media attention.

正确答案：[A] the power of influence goes with social interactions

【分析】：按照题目顺序和自然段一致的原则，定位到第三：名人对于社会时尚没有多大影响力。第四段第二句Yet也进一步说明：Yet it is precisely these noncelebrity influentials who drive social epidemics by influencing their friends and colleagues directly.所以本题选A。B错误是因为下文没有强调媒体可以加强人际关系。C错误是因为文章没有说名人有更多的渠道来与公众交流。D错误也是无中生有。

34.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] are influenced and then influence others

【分析】：根据本句话的前一句话，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.即每个人是如何影响他（她）们的熟人，然后这些熟人又是如何去影响他们的熟人；这些人和最初的名人是没有关系的。所以这些人指的是互相影响的人们。所以C选项恰是对这一点的正确表述。

35. 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]The readiness to be influenced

【分析】：根据题干关键词dynamics以及三三原则，定位到最后一段，即“……variables relating to people’s ability to influence others and their tendency to be……”这句话中能够得知社会影响的动力要素是：人们影响别人的能力以及被别人影响的倾向性。所以选C。

 原版文章： 

http://s8/middle/4982ed5ct72e05861e4f7&6903 来源及答案解析" TITLE="2010年阅读Text 3 来源及答案解析" />