考研英語閱讀真題2011-199616年閱讀真題

Text1

ThedecisionoftheNewYorkPhilharmonictohireAlanGilbertasitsnextmusic

directorhasbeenthetalkoftheclassical-musicworldeversincethesudden

announcementofhisappointmentin2009.Forthemostpart,theresponsehasbeen

favorable,tosaytheleast."Hooray!Atlast!”wroteAnthonyTommasini,a

sober-sidedclassical-musiccritic.

Oneofthereasonswhytheappointmentcameassuchasurprise,however,isthat

Gilbertiscomparativelylittleknown.EvenTommasini,whohadadvocatedGilbert,s

appointmentintheTimes,callshim“anunpretentiousmusicianwithnoairofthe

formidableconductorabouthim."Asadescriptionofthenextmusicdirectorof

anorchestrathathashithertobeenledbymusicianslikeGustavMahlerandPierre

Boulez,thatseemslikelytohavestruckatleastsomeTimesreadersasfaintpraise.

Formypart,IhavenoideawhetherGilbertisagreatconductororevenagood

one.Tobesure,heperformsanimpressivevarietyofinterestingcompositions,but

itisnotnecessaryformetovisitAveryFisherHall,oranywhereelse,tohear

interestingorchestralmusic.AllIhavetodoistogotomyCDshelf,orbootup

mycomputeranddownloadstillmorerecordedmusicfromiTunes.

Devotedconcertgoerswhoreplythatrecordingsarenosubstituteforlive

performancearemissingthepoint.Forthetime,attention,andmoneyofthe

art-lovingpublic,classicalinstrumentalistsmustcompetenotonlywithopera

houses,dancetroupes,theatercompanies,andmuseums,butalsowiththerecorded

performancesofthegreatclassicalmusiciansofthe20thcentury.Thererecordings

arecheap,availableeverywhere,andveryoftenmuchhigherinartisticqualitythan

todayJsliveperformances;moreover,theycanbe“consumed“atatimeandplace

ofthelistener'schoosing.Thewidespreadavailabilityofsuchrecordingshasthus

broughtaboutacrisisintheinstitutionofthetraditionalclassicalconcert.

Onepossibleresponseisforclassicalperformerstoprogramattractivenewmusic

thatisnotyetavailableonrecord.Gilbert'sowninterestinnewmusichasbeen

widelynoted:AlexRoss,aclassical-musiccritic,hasdescribedhimasamanwho

iscapableofturningthePhilharmonicinto“amarkedlydifferent,morevibrant

organization."Butwhatwillbethenatureofthatdifference?Merelyexpanding

theorchestra'srepertoirewillnotbeenough.IfGilbertandthePhilharmonicare

tosucceed,theymustfirstchangetherelationshipbetweenAmerica'soldest

orchestraandthenewaudienceithopstoattract.

21.WelearnfromPara.1thatGilbert'sappointmenthas

[A]incurredcriticism.

[B]raisedsuspicion.

[C]receivedacclaim.

[D]arousedcuriosity.

22.TommasiniregardsGilbertasanartistwhois

[A]influential.

[B]modest.

[C]respectable.

[D]talented.

23.Theauthorbelievesthatthedevotedconcertgoers

[A]ignoretheexpensesofliveperformances.

[B]rejectmostkindsofrecordedperformances.

[C]exaggeratethevarietyofliveperformances.

[D]overestimatethevalueofliveperformances.

24.Accordingtothetext,whichofthefollowingistrueofrecordings?

[A]Theyareofteninferiortoliveconcertsinquality.

[B]Theyareeasilyaccessibletothegeneralpublic.

[C]Theyhelpimprovethequalityofmusic.

[D]Theyhaveonlycoveredmasterpieces.

25.RegardingGilbert*sroleinrevitalizingthePhilharmonic,theauthorfeels

[A]doubtful.

[B]enthusiastic.

[C]confident.

[D]puzzled.

Text2

WhenLiamMcGeedepartedaspresidentofBankofAmericainAugust,his

explanationwassurprisinglystraightup.Ratherthancloakinghisexitintheusual

vagueexcuses,hecamerightoutandsaidhewasleaving“topursuemygoalofrunning

acompany."Broadcastinghisambitionwas“verymuchmydecision,“McGeesays.

Withintwoweeks,hewastalkingforthefirsttimewiththeboardofHartford

FinancialServicesGroup,whichnamedhimCEOandchairmanonSeptember29.

McGeesaysleavingwithoutapositionlinedupgavehimtimetoreflectonwhat

kindofcompanyhewantedtorun.Italsosentaclearmessagetotheoutsideworld

abouthisaspirations.AndMcGeeisn'talone.InrecentweekstheNo.2executives

atAvonandAmericanExpressquitwiththeexplanationthattheywerelookingfor

aCEOpost.Asboardsscrutinizesuccessionplansinresponsetoshareholderpressure,

executiveswhodon'tgetthenodalsomaywishtomoveon.Aturbulentbusiness

environmentalsohasseniormanagerscautiousoflettingvaguepronouncementscloud

theirreputations.

Asthefirstsignsofrecoverybegintotakehold,deputychiefsmaybemore

willingtomakethejumpwithoutanet.Inthethirdquarter,CEOturnoverwasdown

23%fromayearagoasnervousboardsstuckwiththeleaderstheyhad,according

toLiberumResearch.Astheeconomypicksup,opportunitieswillaboundforaspiring

leaders.

Thedecisiontoquitaseniorpositiontolookforabetteroneisunconventional.

Foryearsexecutivesandheadhuntershaveadheredtotherulethatthemost

attractiveCEOcandidatesaretheoneswhomustbepoached.SaysKorn/Ferrysenior

partnerDennisCarey:"Ican,tthinkofasinglesearchI'vedonewhereaboard

hasnotinstructedmetolookatsittingCEOsfirst.”

Thosewhojumpedwithoutajobhaven'talwayslandedintoppositionsquickly.

EllenMarramquitaschiefofTropicanaadecadeage,sayingshewantedtobeaCEO.

ItwasayearbeforeshebecameheadofatinyInternet-basedcommoditiesexchange.

RobertWillumstadleftCitigroupin2005withambitionstobeaCEO.Hefinallytook

thatpostatamajorfinancialinstitutionthreeyearslater.

Manyrecruiterssaytheolddisgraceisfadingfortopperformers.Thefinancial

crisishasmadeitmoreacceptabletobebetweenjobsortoleaveabadone."The

traditionalrulewasit'ssafertostaywhereyouare,butthat'sbeen

fundamentallyinverted,wsaysoneheadhunter."Thepeoplewho'vebeenhurtthe

worstarethosewho'vestayedtoolong.”

26.WhenMcGeeannouncedhisdeparture,hismannercanbestbedescribedasbeing

[A]arrogant.

[B]frank.

[C]self-centered.

[D]impulsive.

27.AccordingtoParagraph2,seniorexecutives'quittingmaybespurredby

[A]theirexpectationofbetterfinancialstatus.

[B]theirneedtoreflectontheirprivatelife.

[C]theirstrainedrelationswiththeboards.

[D]theirpursuitofnewcareergoals.

28.Theword“poached”(Line3,Paragraph4)mostprobablymeans

[A]approvedof.

[B]attendedto.

[C]huntedfor.

[D]guardedagainst.

29.Itcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthat

[A]topperformersusedtoclingtotheirposts.

[B]loyaltyoftopperformersisgettingout-dated.

[C]topperformerscaremoreaboutreputations.

ssafertosticktothetraditionalrules.

30.Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleforthetext?

[A]CEOs:WheretoGo?

[B]CEOs:AlltheWayUp?

[C]TopManagersJumpwithoutaNet

[D]TheOnlyWayOutforTopPerformers

Text3

Theroughguidetomarketingsuccessusedtobethatyougotwhatyoupaidfor.

Nolonger.Whiletraditional“paid"media-suchastelevisioncommercialsand

printadvertisements-stillplayamajorrole,companiestodaycanexploitmany

alternativeformsofmedia.Consumerspassionateaboutaproductmaycreate

“owned“mediabysendinge-mailalertsaboutproductsandsalestocustomers

registeredwithitsWebsite.Thewayconsumersnowapproachthebroadrangeof

factorsbeyondconventionalpaidmedia.

Paidandownedmediaarecontrolledbymarketerspromotingtheirownproducts.

Forearnedmedia,suchmarketersactastheinitiatorforusers'responses.But

insomecases,onemarketer?sownedmediabecomeanothermarketerJspaidmedia

-forinstance,whenane-commerceretailersellsadspaceonitsWebsite.Wedefine

suchsoldmediaasownedmediawhosetrafficissostrongthatotherorganizations

placetheircontentore-commerceengineswithinthatenvironment.Thistrend,which

webelieveisstillinitsinfancy,effectivelybeganwithretailersandtravel

providerssuchasairlinesandhotelsandwillnodoubtgofurther.Johnson&Johnson,

forexample,hascreatedBabyCenter,astand-alonemediapropertythatpromotes

complementaryandevencompetitiveproducts.Besidesgeneratingincome,the

presenceofothermarketersmakesthesiteseemobjective,givescompanies

opportunitiestolearnvaluableinformationabouttheappealofothercompanies'

marketing,andmayhelpexpandusertrafficforallcompaniesconcerned.

Thesamedramatictechnologicalchangesthathaveprovidedmarketerswithmore

(andmorediverse)communicationschoiceshavealsoincreasedtheriskthat

passionateconsumerswillvoicetheiropinionsinquicker,morevisible,andmuch

moredamagingways.Suchhijackedmediaaretheoppositeofearnedmedia:anasset

orcampaignbecomeshostagetoconsumers,otherstakeholders,oractivistswhomake

negativeallegationsaboutabrandorproduct.Membersofsocialnetworks,for

instance,arelearningthattheycanhijackmediatoapplypressureonthebusinesses

thatoriginallycreatedthem.

Ifthathappens,passionateconsumerswouldtrytopersuadeotherstoboycott

products,puttingthereputationofthetargetcompanyatrisk.Insuchacase,the

company'sresponsemaynotbesufficientlyquickorthoughtful,andthelearning

curvehasbeensteep.ToyotaMotor,forexample,alleviatedsomeofthedamagefrom

itsrecallcrisisearlierthisyearwitharelativelyquickandwell-orchestrated

social-mediaresponsecampaign,whichincludedeffortstoengagewithconsumers

directlyonsitessuchasTwitterandthesocial-newssiteDigg.

31.Consumersmaycreate“earned”mediawhentheyare

[A]obsessedwithonlineshoppingatcertainWebsites.

[B]inspiredbyproduct-promotinge-maiIssenttothem.

[C]eagertohelptheirfriendspromotequalityproducts.

[D]enthusiasticaboutrecommendingtheirfavoriteproducts.

32.AccordingtoParagraph2,soldmediafeature

[A]asafebusinessenvironment.

[B]randomcompetition.

[C]strongusertraffic.

[D]flexibilityinorganization.

33.TheauthorindicatesinParagraph3thatearnedmedia

[A]inviteconstantconflictswithpassionateconsumers.

[B]canbeusedtoproducenegativeeffectsinmarketing.

[C]mayberesponsibleforfiercercompetition.

[D]deserveallthenegativecommentsaboutthem.

34.ToyotaMotor'sexperienceiscitedasanexampleof

[A]respondingeffectivelytohijackedmedia.

[B]persuadingcustomersintoboycottingproducts.

[C]cooperatingwithsupportiveconsumers.

[D]takingadvantageofhijackedmedia.

35.Whichofthefollowingisthetextmainlyabout?

[A]Alternativestoconventionalpaidmedia.

[B]Conflictbetweenhijackedandearnedmedia.

[C]Dominanceofhijackedmedia.

[D]Popularityofownedmedia.

Text4

It'snosurprisethatJenniferSenior'sinsightful,provocativemagazinecover

story,“IloveMyChildren,IHateMyLife,“isarousingmuchchatter-nothing

getspeopletalkinglikethesuggestionthatchildrearingisanythinglessthan

acompletelyfulfilling,life-enrichingexperience.Ratherthanconcludingthat

childrenmakeparentseitherhappyormiserable,Seniorsuggestsweneedtoredefine

happiness:insteadofthinkingofitassomethingthatcanbemeasuredby

moment-to-momentjoy,weshouldconsiderbeinghappyasapast-tensecondition.Even

thoughtheday-to-dayexperienceofraisingkidscanbesoul-crushinglyhard,Senior

writesthat“theverythingsthatinthemomentdampenourmoodscanlaterbesources

ofintensegratificationanddelight.v

Themagazinecovershowinganattractivemotherholdingacutebabyishardly

theonlyMadonna-and-chiIdimageonnewsstandsthisweek.Therearealsostories

aboutnewlyadoptive-andnewlysingle-momSandraBullock,aswellastheusual

uJenniferAnistonispregnantwnews.Practicallyeveryweekfeaturesatleastone

celebritymom,ormom-to-be,smilingonthenewsstands.

Inasocietythatsopersistentlycelebratesprocreation,isitanywonderthat

admittingyouregrethavingchildrenisequivalenttoadmittingyousupport

kitten-killing?Itdoesn,tseemquitefair,then,tocomparetheregretsofparents

totheregretsofthechildren.Unhappyparentsrarelyareprovokedtowonderif

theyshouldn'thavehadkids,butunhappychildlessfolksarebotheredwiththe

messagethatchildrenarethesinglemostimportantthingintheworld:obviously

theirmiserymustbeadirectresultofthegapingbaby-sizeholesintheirlives.

Ofcourse,theimageofparenthoodthatcelebritymagazineslikeUsWeeklyand

Peoplepresentishugelyunrealistic,especiallywhentheparentsaresinglemothers

likeBullock.Accordingtoseveralstudiesconcludingthatparentsarelesshappy

thanchildlesscouples,singleparentsaretheleasthappyofall.Noshockthere,

consideringhowmuchworkitistoraiseakidwithoutapartnertoleanon;yet

tohearSandraandBritneytellit,raisingakidontheir“own”(read:with

round-the-clockhelp)isapieceofcake.

It'shardtoimaginethatmanypeoplearedumbenoughtowantchildrenjust

becauseReeseandAngelinamakeitlooksoglamorous:mostadultsunderstandthat

ababyisnotahaircut.Butit'sinterestingtowonderiftheimagesweseeevery

weekofstress-free,happiness-enhancingparenthoodaren,tinsomesmall,

subconsciouswaycontributingtoourowndissatisfactionswiththeactualexperience,

inthesamewaythatasmallpartofushopedgetting“theRachelwmightmake

uslookjustalittlebitlikeJenniferAniston.

36.JenniferSeniorsuggestsinherarticlethatraisingachildcanbring

[A]temporarydelight

[B]enjoymentinprogress

[C]happinessinretrospect

[D]lastingreward

37.WelearnfromParagraph2that

[A]celebritymomsareapermanentsourceforgossip.

[B]singlemotherswithbabiesdeservegreaterattention.

[C]newsaboutpregnantcelebritiesisentertaining.

[D]havingchildrenishighlyvaluedbythepublic.

38.ItissuggestedinParagraph3thatchildlessfolks

[A]areconstantlyexposedtocriticism.

[B]arelargelyignoredbythemedia.

[C]failtofulfilltheirsocialresponsibilities.

[D]arelesslikelytobesatisfiedwiththeirlife.

39.AccordingtoParagraph4,themessageconveyedbycelebritymagazinesis

[A]soothing.

[B]ambiguous.

[C]compensatory.

[D]misleading.

40.Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?

[A]Havingchildrencontributeslittletotheglamourofcelebritymoms.

[B]Celebritymomshaveinfluencedourattitudetowardschildrearing.

[C]Havingchildrenintensifiesourdissatisfactionwithlife.

[D]Wesometimesneglectthehappinessfromchildrearing.

2010

Text1

OfallthechangesthathavetakenplaceinEnglish-languagenewspapersduring

thepastquarter-century,perhapsthemostfar-reachinghasbeentheinexorable

declineinthescopeandseriousnessoftheirartscoverage.

Itisdifficulttothepointofimpossibilityfortheaveragereaderunder

theageoffortytoimagineatimewhenhigh-qualityartscriticismcouldbe

foundinmostbig-citynewspapers.Yetaconsiderablenumberofthemost

significantcollectionsofcriticismpublishedinthe20thcenturyconsistedin

largepartofnewspaperreviews.Toreadsuchbookstodayistomarvelatthefact

thattheirlearnedcontentswereoncedeemedsuitableforpublicationin

general-circulationdailies.

Weareevenfartherremovedfromtheunfocusednewspaperreviewspublished

inEnglandbetweentheturnofthe2OthcenturyandtheeveofWorldWarII,

atatimewhennewsprintwasdirt-cheapandstylishartscriticismwasconsidered

anornamenttothepublicationsinwhichitappeared.Inthosefar-offdays,it

wastakenforgrantedthatthecriticsofmajorpaperswouldwriteindetail

andatlengthabouttheeventstheycovered.Theirswasaseriousbusiness,and

eventhosereviewerswhoworetheirlearninglightly,likeGeorgeBernardShawand

ErnestNeman,couldbetrustedtoknowwhattheywereabout.These

menbelievedinjournalismasacalling,andwereproudtobepublishedin

thedailypress."Sofewauthorshavebrainsenoughorliterarygiftenoughto

keeptheirownendupinjournalism,“Newmanwrote,“thatIamtemptedto

define'journalism'as'atermofcontemptappliedbywriterswhoarenotread

towriterswhoare,.”

Unfortunately,thesecriticsarevirtuallyforgotten.NevilleCardus,whowrote

fortheManchesterGuardianfrom1917untilshortlybeforehisdeathin

1975,isnowknownsolelyasawriterofessaysonthegameofcricket.Duringhis

1ifetime,though,hewasalsooneofEngland，sforemostclassical-musiccritics,

andastylistsowidelyadmiredthathisAutobiography(1947)becameabest-seller.

Hewasknightedin1967,thefirstmusiccritictobesohonored.Yetonlyone

ofhisbooksisnowinprint,andhisvastbodyofwritingsonmusicisunknown

savetospecialists.

IsthereanychancethatCardus*scriticismwillenjoyarevival?Theprospect

seemsremote.Journalistictasteshadchangedlongbeforehisdeath,

andpostmodernreadershavelittleusefortherichlyupholstered

Vicwardianproseinwhichhespecialized.Moreover,theamateurtraditionin

musiccriticismhasbeeninheadlongretreat.

21.ItisindicatedinParagraphs1and2that

[A]artscriticismhasdisappearedfrombig-citynewspapers.

[B]English-languagenewspapersusedtocarrymoreartsreviews.

[C]high-qualitynewspapersretainalargebodyofreaders.

[D]youngreadersdoubtthesuitabilityofcriticismondailies.

22.NewspaperreviewsinEnglandbeforeworldwarIIwerecharacterizedby

[A]freethemes.

[B]casualstyle.

[C]elaboratelayout.

[D]radicalviewpoints.

23.whichofthefollowingwouldShawandNewmanmostprobablyagreeon?

[A]ItiswritersJdutytofulfilljournalisticgoals.

[B]Itiscontemptibleforwriterstobejournalists.

[C]Writersarelikelytobetemptedintojournalism.

[D]Notallwritersarecapableofjournalisticwriting.

24.WhatcanbelearnedaboutCardusaccordingtothelasttwoparagraphs?

[A]Hismusiccriticismmaynotappealtoreaderstoday.

[B]Hisreputationasamusiccritichaslongbeenindispute.

[C]Hisstylecaterslargelytomodernspecialists.

[D]Hiswritingsfailtofollowtheamateurtradition.

25.Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthetext?

[A]NewspapersoftheGoodOldDays.

[B]ThelostHorizoninNewspapers.

[C]MournfulDeclineofJournalism.

[D]ProminentCriticsinMemory.

Text2

Overthepastdecade,thousandsofpatentshavebeengrantedforwhatarecalled

businessmethods.Amazon,comreceivedoneforits“one-click”onlinepayment

system.MerrillLynchgotlegalprotectionforanassetallocationstrategy.One

inventorpatentedatechniqueforliftingabox.

Nowthenation'stoppatentcourtappearscompletelyreadytoscalebackon

business-methodpatents,whichhavebeencontroversialeversincetheywerefirst

authorized10yearsago.Inamovethathasintellectual-propertylawyersabuzzthe

U.S.courtofAppealsforthefederalcircuitsaiditwoulduseaparticularcase

toconductabroadreviewofbusiness-methodpatents.InreBilski,asthecase

isknown,is“averybigdeal”,saysDennis'D.CrouchoftheUniversityof

MissouriSchooloflaw.It“hasthepotentialtoeliminateanentireclassof

patents.”

Curbsonbusiness-methodclaimswouldbeadramaticabout-face,becauseitwas

thefederalcircuititselfthatintroducedsuchpatentswithis1998decisionin

theso-calledstateStreetBankcase,approvingapatentonawayofpooling

mutual-fundassets.Thatrulingproducedanexplosioninbusiness-methodpatent

filings,initiallybyemerginginternetcompaniestryingtostakeoutexclusive

pinhtstospecifictypesofonlinetransactions.Later,moveestablishedcompanies

racedtoaddsuchpatentstotheirfiles,ifonlyasadefensivemoveagainstrivals

thatmightbeatthemtothepunch.In2005,IBMnotedinacourtfilingthatithad

beenissuedmorethan300business-methodpatentsdespitethefactthatitquestioned

thelegalbasisforgrantingthem.Similarly,someWallStreetinvestmentfilmsarmed

themselveswithpatentsforfinancialproducts,evenastheytookpositionsincourt

casesopposingthepractice.

TheBilskicaseinvolvesaclaimedpatentonamethodforhedgingriskinthe

energymarket.TheFederalcircuitissuedanunusualorderstatingthatthecase

wouldbeheardbyall12ofthecourt'sjudges,ratherthanatypicalpanelofthree,

andthatoneissueitwantstoevaluateiswhetheritshould”reconsider“itsstate

streetBankruling.

TheFederalCircuit,sactioncomesinthewakeofaseriesofrecentdecisions

bythesupremeCountthathasnarrowedthescopeofprotectionsforpatentholders.

LastApril,forexamplethejusticessignaledthattoomanypatentswerebeingupheld

for“inventions“thatareobvious.ThejudgesontheFederalcircuitareureacting

totheanti_patenttrendatthesupremecourt”,saysHaroleC.wegner,apartend

attorneyandprofessorataeorgeWashingtonUniversityLawSchool.

26.Business-methodpatentshaverecentlyarousedconcernbecauseof

[A]theirlimitedvaluetobusiness

[B]theirconnectionwithassetallocation

[C]thepossiblerestrictionontheirgranting

[D]thecontroversyoverauthorization

27.WhichofthefollowingistrueoftheBilskicase?

[A]Itsrulingcomplieswiththecourtdecisions

[B]Itinvolvesaverybigbusinesstransaction

[C]IthasbeendismissedbytheFederalCircuit

[D]ItmaychangethelegalpracticesintheU.S.

28.Theword“about-face”(Line1,Paro3)mostprobablymeans

[A]lossofgoodwill

[B]increaseofhostility

[C]changeofattitude

[D]enhancementofdignity

29.Welearnfromthelasttwoparagraphsthatbusiness-methodpatents

[A]areimmunetolegalchallenges

[B]areoftenunnecessarilyissued

[C]lowertheesteemforpatentholders

[D]increasetheincidenceofrisks

30.Whichofthefollowingwouldbethesubjectofthetext?

[A]Aloomingthreattobusiness-methodpatents

[B]Protectionforbusiness-methodpatentholders

[C]Alegalcaseregardingbusiness-methodpatents

[D]Aprevailingtrendagainstbusiness-methodpatents

Text3

InhisbookTheTippingPoint,MalcolmAladuel1arguesthatsocialepidemicsare

driveninlargepartbytheactingofatinyminorityofspecialindividuals,often

calledinfluentials,whoareunusuallyinformed,persuasive,orwell-connected.The

ideaisintuitivelycompelling,butitdoesn,texplainhowideasactuallyspread.

Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausiblesoundingbut

largelyuntestedtheorycalledthe“twostepflowofcommunication"：Information

flowsfromthemediatotheinfluentialsandfromthemtoeveryoneelse.Marketers

haveembracedthetwo-stepflowbecauseitsuggeststhatiftheycanjustfindand

influencetheinfluentials,thoseselectedpeoplewilldomostoftheworkforthem.

Thetheoryalsoseemstoexplainthesuddenandunexpectedpopularityofcertain

looks,brands,orneighborhoods.Inmanysuchcases,acursorysearchforcauses

findsthatsomesmallgroupofpeoplewaswearing,promoting,ordevelopingwhatever

itisbeforeanyoneelsepaidattention.Anecdotalevidenceofthiskindfitsnicely

withtheideathatonlycertainspecialpeoplecandrivetrends

Intheirrecentwork,however,someresearchershavecomeupwiththefinding

thatinfluentialshavefarlessimpactonsocialepidemicsthanisgenerallysupposed.

Infact,theydon'tseemtoberequiredofall.

TheresearchersJargumentstemsfromasimpleobservingaboutsocialinfluence,

withtheexceptionofafewcelebritieslikeOprahWinfrey-whoseoutsizepresence

isprimarilyafunctionofmedia,notinterpersonal,influence-eventhemost

influentialmembersofapopulationsimplydon'tinteractwiththatmanyothers.

Yetitispreciselythesenon-celebrityinfluentialswho,accordingtothe

two-step-flowtheory,aresupposedtodrivesocialepidemicsbyinfluencingtheir

friendsandcolleaguesdirectly.Forasocialepidemictooccur,however,eachperson

soaffected,musttheninfluencehisorherownacquaintances,whomustinturn

influencetheirs,andsoon;andjusthowmanyotherspayattentiontoeachofthese

peoplehaslittletodowiththeinitialinfluential.Ifpeopleinthenetworkjust

twodegreesremovedfromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplefrom

theinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexamplethecascadeofchangewon't

propagateveryfaroraffectmanypeople.

Buildingonthebasictruthaboutinterpersonalinfluence,theresearchers

studiedthedynamicsofpopulationsmanipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingof

populations,manipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingtopeople*sabilityto

influenceothersandtheirtendencytobeinfluenced.Ourworkshowsthatthe

principalrequirementforwhatwecall“globalcascades”-thewidespread

propagationofinfluencethroughnetworks-isthepresencenotofafewinfluentials

but,rather,ofacriticalmassofeasilyinfluencedpeople,eachofwhomadopts,

say,alookorabrandafterbeingexposedtoasingleadoptingneighbor.Regardless

ofhowinfluentialanindividualislocally,heorshecanexertglobalinfluence

onlyifthiscriticalmassisavailabletopropagateachainreaction.

31.Bycitingthebo