1In 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.
主干主语：Malcolm Gladwell；谓语：argues；宾语：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
结构句子开头介词短语“In his book The Tipping Point”作时间状语，修饰动词“argues”；主句主语“Malcolm Gladwell”后接动词“argues”，后接that引导的宾语从句；宾语从句主语“social epidemics”后接被动语态“are driven”，介词短语“in large part by the actions of a tiny minority of special individuals”作方式状语；“often called influentials”是“individuals”的同位语；“who are unusually informed, persuasive, or well connected”是定语从句修饰“individuals”。句中包含插入成分和并列结构，整体是多重修饰的复杂长句。
译文在《引爆点》一书中，马尔科姆·格拉德威尔认为，“社会流行病”在很大程度上是由一小撮特殊人物的行动推动的，这些人通常被称为意见领袖，他们非同寻常地见多识广、善于游说或人脉广泛。
考点介词短语作状语的位置和修饰范围 · 同位语和定语从句的嵌套结构
2The 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.
主干主语：The supposed importance of influentials；谓语：derives；宾语：a plausible-sounding but largely untested theory called the “two-step flow of communication”
结构句子主干是“The supposed importance of influentials derives from...”；“supposed importance”是被动结构作主语；“a plausible-sounding but largely untested theory called the “two-step flow of communication””是被动结构作宾语，其中“called the “two-step flow of communication””是过去分词短语作后置定语；冒号后是“Information flows from the media to the influentials and from them to everyone else”作同位语解释理论内容。句中包含过去分词作定语和并列结构。
译文意见领袖的重要性源于一个听起来合理但基本未经检验的理论，即“两级传播理论”：信息从媒体流向意见领袖，再从他们流向每个人。
考点过去分词短语作定语的用法 · 同位语从句的引导方式
3The 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.
主干主语：The researchers’ argument；谓语：stems；宾语：a simple observation about social influence
结构句子主干是“The researchers’ argument stems from a simple observation about social influence”；冒号后是“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”作同位语；破折号内“whose outsize presence is primarily a function of media, not interpersonal, influence”是非限制性定语从句修饰“Oprah Winfrey”；句中包含插入成分和让步状语从句的倒装结构。
译文研究者的论点源于对社会影响的一个简单观察：除了像奥普拉·温弗里这样的少数名人——她的影响力主要来自媒体而非人际互动——外，即使是最有影响力的群体成员也只是与少数几个人互动。
考点破折号插入成分的使用 · 让步状语从句的倒装结构
4For 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.
主干主语：each person so affected；谓语：must then influence；宾语：his or her own acquaintances
结构句子主干是“each person so affected must then influence his or her own acquaintances”；“so affected”是过去分词短语作定语修饰“person”；“who must in turn influence theirs”是非限制性定语从句修饰“acquaintances”；句中包含“and so on”作方式状语和并列句结构；“just how many others pay attention to each of these people has little to do with the initial influential”是独立主格结构作结果状语。整体是多重嵌套的复杂句。
译文然而，要形成社会流行病，每个受影响的人必须接着影响自己的熟人，而这些熟人又必须影响他们的熟人，如此循环往复；而且有多少人关注这些人，与最初的意见领袖关系不大。
考点独立主格结构作状语 · 非限制性定语从句的嵌套关系