请阅读Passage1，完成第下列问小题。
Passage1
InhisbookTheTippingPoint,MalcolmGladwellarguesthat\"socialepidemics\"aredriveninlargepartbytheactionsofatinyminorityofspecialindividuals,oftencalledinfluentials,whoareunusuallyinformed,persuasive,orwell-connected．Theideaisintuitivelycompelling,butitdoesn′texplainhowideasactuallyspread．
Thesupposedimportanceofinfluentialsderivesfromaplausible-soundingbutlargelyuntestedtheorycalledthe\"two-stepflowofcommunication\":Informationflowsfromthemediatotheinfluentialsandfromthemtoeveryoneelse．Marketershaveembracedthetwo-stepflowbecauseitsuggeststhatiftheycanjustfindandinfluencetheinfluentials,thoseselectedpeoplewilldomostoftheworkforthem．Thetheoryalsoseemstoexplainthesuddenandunexpectedpopularityofcertainlooks,brands,orneighborhoods．Inmanysuchcases,acursorysearchforcausesfindsthatsomesmallgroupofpeoplewaswearing,promoting,ordevelopingwhateveritisbeforeanyoneelsepaidattention．Anecdotalevidenceofthiskindfitsnicelywiththeideathatonlycertainspecialpeoplecandrivetrends．
Intheirrecentwork,however,someresearchershavecomeupwiththefindingthatinfluentialshavefarlessimpactonsocialepidemicsthanisgenerallysupposed．Infact,theydon′tseemtoberequiredofall．
Theresearchers′argumentstemsfromasimpleobservationaboutsocialinfluence:WiththeexceptionofafewcelebritieslikeOprahWinfrey--whoseoutsizepresenceisprimarilyafunctionofmedia,notinterpersonal,influence--eventhemostinfluentialmembersofapopulationsimplydon′tinteractwiththatmanyothers．Yetitispreciselythesenon-celebrityinfluentialswho,accordingtothetwo-step-flowtheory,aresupposedtodrivesocialepidemics,byinfluencingtheirfriendsandcolleaguesdirectly．Forasocialepidemictooccur,however,eachpersonsoaffectedmusttheninfluencehisorherownacquaintances,whomustinturninfluencetheirs,andsoon;andjusthowmanyotherspayattentiontoeachofthesepeoplehaslittletodowiththeinitialinfluential．Ifpeopleinthenetworkjusttwodegreesremovedfromtheinitialinfluentialproveresistant,forexample,thecascadeofchangewon′tpropagateveryfaroraffectmanypeople．
Buildingonthebasictruthaboutinterpersonalinfluence,theresearchersstudiedthedynamicsofsocialinfluencebyconductingthousandsofcomputersimulationsofpopulations,manipulatinganumberofvariablesrelatingtopeople′sabilitytoinfluenceothersandtheirtendencytobeinfluenced．Theyfoundthattheprincipalrequirementforwhatiscalled\"globalcascades\"—thewidespreadpropagationofinfluencethroughnetworks--isthepresencenotofafewinfluentialsbut,rather,ofacriticalmassofeasilyinfluencedpeople．
{TS}BycitingthebookTheTippingPoint,theauthorintendsto__________．

A.analyzetheconsequencesofsocialepidemics

B.discussinfluentials'functioninspreadingideas

C.exemplifypeople'sintuitiveresponsetosocialepidemics

D.describetheessentialcharacteristicsofinfluentials