2010年阅读Text 3 来源及答案解析
2010-01-10 07:07阅读：
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 infl
uentials, 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：
