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.
答案：B
答案句：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, but it doesn't explain how ideas actually spread.
参考译文：在他的著作《引爆点》中，马尔科姆·格拉德威尔认为，“社会流行”在很大程度上是由极少数特殊个体的行为推动的，这些人通常被称为有影响力的人，他们异常见多识广、有说服力或人脉广泛。这个想法直觉上令人信服，但它并没有解释思想实际上是如何传播的。
定位线索：题干“By citing the book The Tipping Point”定位到首段；文中“social epidemics are driven...by influentials”对应选项B“discuss influentials’ function in spreading ideas”；文中“influentials”对应选项“influentials”。
解析：题干问作者引用《引爆点》一书的目的，属于例证题。答案句是首段第一句，它直接陈述了该书的核心观点：社会流行由有影响力的人推动，这正是对“有影响力的人在传播思想中的作用”的讨论，因此选B。例子本身（书名和观点）不是答案，其后的“The idea is intuitively compelling, but it doesn't explain how ideas actually spread”表明作者只是引出话题，并非分析后果（A）、举例说明直觉反应（C）或描述特征（D）。A、C、D均为无中生有或偏离重点。
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.
答案：D
答案句：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.
参考译文：所谓有影响力的人的重要性，源于一个听起来合理但在很大程度上未经检验的理论，即“两级传播”：信息从媒体流向有影响力的人，再从他们流向其他人。
定位线索：题干“two-step-flow theory”定位到第二段；文中“plausible-sounding but largely untested”对应选项D“requires solid evidence for its validity”；文中“untested”对应选项“requires solid evidence”。
解析：题干问作者对“两级传播理论”的看法。答案句明确指出该理论“听起来合理但 largely untested（在很大程度上未经检验）”，即缺乏可靠证据，因此选D。A“作为营销问题的解决方案”是营销人员的主观看法，并非作者观点；B“帮助解释了某些流行趋势”是理论看似能解释，但作者未肯定其有效性；C“获得有影响力的人的支持”文中未提及。
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.
答案：A
答案句：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 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.
参考译文：然而，在最近的研究中，一些研究人员发现，有影响力的人对社会流行的影响远没有人们普遍认为的那么大。事实上，他们似乎根本就不是必需的。……研究人员的论点源于对社会影响的一个简单观察：除了像奥普拉·温弗瑞这样的少数名人——其巨大的存在感主要是媒体而非人际影响的作用——即使是人口中最有影响力的成员也不会与那么多人互动。
定位线索：题干“researchers have observed recently”定位到第三、四段；文中“influentials have far less impact”和“don’t interact with that many others”对应选项A“the power of influence goes with social interactions”；文中“interpersonal influence”对应选项“social interactions”。
解析：题干问研究者的最新观察表明什么。答案句指出有影响力的人影响很小，且除名人外，他们与其他人互动不多，这暗示影响力的传播依赖于社会互动，而非少数有影响力的人，因此选A。B“人际联系可通过媒体增强”与原文“媒体而非人际影响”矛盾；C“有影响力的人有更多渠道接触公众”文中未提；D“大多数名人享有广泛媒体关注”是原文提及的例外情况，但非研究者观察的核心结论。
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.
答案：C
答案句：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.
参考译文：然而，根据两级传播理论，正是这些非名人但有影响力的人，通过直接影响他们的朋友和同事，被认为推动了社会流行。然而，要让社会流行发生，每个受到影响的人必须接着影响自己的熟人，这些熟人又必须依次影响他们的熟人，如此类推；而这些人中每一个有多少人关注，与最初的有影响力的人关系不大。
定位线索：题干“these people”定位到第四段；文中“each person so affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances”对应选项C“are influenced and then influence others”；文中“each of these people”指代“each person so affected”。
解析：题干问“these people”指代谁。答案句前文提到“each person so affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances”，即先被影响再影响他人的人，因此“these people”指那些“被影响后又影响他人”的人，选C。A“处于社会影响网络之外”与原文不符；B“与影响源接触少”是“two degrees removed”的情况，非指代对象；D“被最初有影响力的人影响”只强调被影响，忽略了“再影响他人”的关键。
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.
答案：C
答案句：They found that the principal requirement for what is called “global cascades” – the widespread propagation of influence through networks – is the presence not of a few influentials but, rather, of a critical mass of easily influenced people.
参考译文：他们发现，所谓的“全球级联”——影响通过网络广泛传播——的主要要求不是少数有影响力的人的存在，而是大量易受影响的人的存在。
定位线索：题干“essential element in the dynamics of social influence”定位到末段；文中“principal requirement”对应选项C“The readiness to be influenced”；文中“easily influenced people”对应选项“readiness to be influenced”。
解析：题干问社会影响动态中的关键要素。答案句明确指出“主要要求是大量易受影响的人”，即“被影响的意愿”，因此选C。A“被接受的渴望”文中未提；B“影响他人的冲动”与原文强调“易受影响”相反；D“依赖他人的倾向”范围过大，原文仅指“易受影响”。