2010英语一Text3

2010英语一Text3InhisbookTheTippingPoint,MalcolmGladwellarguesthatsocialepidemicsaredriveninlargepartbytheactingofatinyminorityofspecialindividuals,oftencalledinfluentials,whoareunusuallyinformed,persuasive,orwell-connected.Theideaisintuitivelycompelling,butitdoesn'texplainhowideasactuallyspread.Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausiblesoundingbutlargelyuntestedtheorycalledthetwostepflowofcommunication:Informationflowsfromthemediatotheinfluentialsandfromthemtoeveryoneelse.Marketershaveembracedthetwo-stepflowbecauseitsuggeststhatiftheycanjustfindandinfluencetheinfluentials,thoseselectedpeoplewilldomostoftheworkforthem.Thetheoryalsoseemstoexplainthesuddenandunexpectedpopularityofcertainlooks,brands,orneighborhoods.Inmanysuchcases,acursorysearchforcausesfindsthatsomesmallgroupofpeoplewaswearing,promoting,ordevelopingwhateveritisbeforeanyoneelsepaidattention.AnecdotalevidenceofthiskindfitsnicelywiththeideathatonlycertainspecialpeoplecandrivetrendsIntheirrecentwork,however,someresearchershavecomeupwiththefindingthatinfluentialshavefarlessimpactonsocialepidemicsthanisgenerallysupposed.Infact,theydon'tseemtoberequiredofall.Theresearchers'argumentstemsfromasimpleobservingaboutsocialinfluence,withtheexceptionofafewcelebritieslikeOprahWinfrey—whoseoutsizepresenceisprimarilyafunctionofmedia,notinterpersonal,influence—eventhemostinfluentialmembersofapopulationsimplydon'tinteractwiththatmanyothers.Yetitispreciselythesenon-celebrityinfluentialswho,accordingtothetwo-step-flowtheory,aresupposedtodrivesocialepidemicsbyinfluencingtheirfriendsandcolleaguesdirectly.Forasocialepidemictooccur,however,eachpersonsoaffected,musttheninfluencehisorherownacquaintances,whomustinturninfluencetheirs,andsoon;andjusthowmanyotherspayattentiontoeachofthesepeoplehaslittletodowiththeinitialinfluential.Ifpeopleinthenetworkjusttwodegreesremovedfromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplefromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplethecascadeofchangewon'tpropagateveryfaroraffectmanypeople.Buildingonthebasictruthaboutinterpersonalinfluence,theresearchersstudiedthedynamicsofpopulationsmanipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingofpopulations,manipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingtopeople'sabilitytoinfluenceothersandtheirtendencytobeinfluenced.Ourworkshowsthattheprincipalrequirementforwhatwecallglobalcascades–thewidespreadpropagationofinfluencethroughnetworks–isthepresencenotofafewinfluentialsbut,rather,ofacriticalmassofeasilyinfluencedpeople,eachofwhomadopts,say,alookorabrandafterbeingexposedtoasingleadoptingneighbor.Regardlessofhowinfluentialanindividualislocally,heorshecanexertglobalinfluenceonlyifthiscriticalmassisavailabletopropagateachainreaction.31.BycitingthebookTheTippingPoint,theauthorintendsto[A]analyzetheconsequencesofsocialepidemics[B]discussinfluentials'functioninspreadingideas[C]exemplifypeople'sintuitiveresponsetosocialepidemics[D]describetheessentialcharacteristicsofinfluentials.32.Theauthorsuggeststhatthetwo-step-flowtheory[A]servesasasolutiontomarketingproblems[B]hashelpedexplaincertainprevalenttrends[C]haswonsupportfrominfluentials[D]requiressolidevidenceforitsvalidity33.Whattheresearchershaveobservedrecentlyshowsthat[A]thepowerofinfluencegoeswithsocialinteractions[B]interpersonallinkscanbeenhancedthroughthemedia[C]influentialshavemorechannelstoreachthepublic[D]mostcelebritiesenjoywidemediaattention34.Theunderlinedphrasethesepeopleinparagraph4referstotheoneswho[A]stayoutsidethenetworkofsocialinfluence[B]havelittlecontactwiththesourceofinfluence[C]areinfluencedandtheninfluenceothers[D]areinfluencedbytheinitialinfluential35.whatistheessentialelementinthedynamicsofsocialinfluence?[A]Theeagernesstobeaccepted[B]Theimpulsetoinfluenceothers[C]Thereadinesstobeinfluenced[D]Theinclinationtorelyonothers