《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit50:与汤姆·克鲁斯面对面

　　Unit 50
Face to Face with Tom Cruise¹
Change terrifies most of us. Not Tom Cruise. Want proof²? His dad abandoned his family, and he grew up poor. He couldn't read, and teachers said he was dyslexic. But he stayed close to his mum and sisters, and turned himself into the biggest movie star in the world. He appears to thrive³ on pressures and responsibilities, getting up every morning, putting on his million-watt smile and going at life hard.
This is Tom Cruise we are talking about, one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. But when he was born in 1962, he didn't have money, influence or famous friends. What he had was Mary Lee, his tough, optimistic mum, and a determination not to be just a good-looking average Joe. Cruise worked hard, moving to New York, then Los Angeles, to begin acting⁴, and then created a wonderful life for the two kids he adopted with actress Nicole Kidman, whom he divorced⁵ in 2001. That leads to one of the next big things Cruise would like to change: his status as a single guy.
The following is an interview given by Reader's Digest.
RD:Were you always close to your sisters?
Cruise:Always. Bing raised with women, I saw their side of things. I got an understanding.
RD:You seem to have a real respect for women. What is it that you like so much about them?
Cruise:They smell good. They look pretty. I love women. I really do.
RD:What do you think your strength is as a parent?
Cruise:Everything! I'm a great parent. I want to be with my kids. They are happy. They get to do all the stuff⁶ I wanted to do when I was growing up.
RD:What do you want your children to learn about life?
Cruise:I've told them anything is possible. I started them when they were young, first swimming, then riding, hiking, climbing. It's giving them confidence to learn, to put in them a sense of integrity⁷, sympathy and understanding.
RD:Do you want to be married again and have more children?
Cruise:Yeah, yeah. I love kids. And I'd like to get married. I like being in a relationship.
RD:So how does Tom Cruise, single guy, find a girlfriend?
Cruise:They call me up.
RD:How is it going?
Cruise:I'm dating, but I don't have a girlfriend.
RD:And you're confident you'll find somebody?
Cruise:I have to. There has to be that woman out there. I want to be with someone who's going to be a lot of fun. Someone who doesn't mind traveling, loves kids, loves a lot of activities. Someone I can really trust, someone who can really communicate, someone who enjoys life.
RD:You reconciled⁸ with your father before he died. What was that like?
Cruise:I saw him right before he died. So I don't fell regret. You look at people in his position, and you feel bad for them, for what they missed in life. I understand what he was going through.

1 cruise   

v.巡航，航游，缓慢巡行；n.海上航游

参考例句：

• They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
• She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。

2 proof   

adj.防...的，耐...的，能防护；n.校样，证据，证明；vt.检验，给...做防护措施

参考例句：

• He is living proof of the wonders of modern medicine.他是当代医学奇迹的活证明。
• The proof was fished up from some old papers.校样在旧文件中被找到了。

3 thrive   

v.兴旺，繁荣，茁壮成长

参考例句：

• These animals thrive on the leaves of certain trees.这些动物靠吃某些树的叶子长壮。
• This flowering plant will thrive and bloom wherever you plant it.这种花随便你种在哪儿都能活。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 divorced   

adj.离婚的；分开的；不相干的；脱离的v.与…离婚(divorce的过去式和过去分词)；分离；与某人离婚，判某人离婚

参考例句：

• Apparently they are getting divorced soon. 看样子，他们很快就要离婚。
• Many divorced men remarry and have second families. 许多离婚的男子再婚组成了新的家庭。

6 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

7 integrity   

n.正直，诚实，诚恳，完整，完全，完善

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• He is a man of the highest integrity.他是个极其正直的人。

8 reconciled   

adj. 顺从的, 和解的 动词reconcile的过去时和过去分词

参考例句：

• He evinced a strong desire to be reconciled with his family. 他表现出与家人和好的强烈愿望。
• He had been reconciled with his family. 他与家人言归于好。