《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词4500》76 "Superman" Star Christopher Reeve

　　Unit 76
"Superman" Star Christopher Reeve
Superman actor Christopher Reeve, who turned personal tragedy into a public campaign and from his wheelchair became the nation's most recognizable spokesman for spinal¹ cord research, died on Oct. 10, 2004, after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma² the previous day. In the last week Reeve had developed a serious systemic infection, a common problem for people living with paralysis³ who develop bedsores and depend on tubes for their care. "He's put up with a lot", said his mother, "I'm glad he's free of all those tubes."
Reeve was born Sept. 25, 1952, in New York City. His athletic⁴ frame and love for adventure made him a natural choice for the international icon⁵ Superman in the 1987 film. He made Superman believable by playing him as a hero with brains and a heart. He insisted on performing his own stunts⁶. He said, "What makes Superman a hero is not his power, but that he has wisdom and maturity⁷ to use the power wisely." Later he co-starred with Jane Seymour in Somewhere in Time, which inspired a wide cult⁸ following among college students, though not popular at the time it was released. Seymour thought so highly of Reeve that she named one of her kids after him. Reeve went on to appear in a total of 17 feature films, a dozen TV-movies and 150 plays. His striking good looks and imposing⁹ physique were reminiscent of Hollywood's classic leading men like John Wayne who, after meeting Reeve at the 1979 Academy Awards, turned to Cary Grant and said, "This is our new man. He's taking over."
On Memorial Day weekend, 1995, Reeve was competing when his horse, "Eastern Express" decided¹⁰ to put on brakes just before the third jump. The momentum¹¹ carried him over the top of his horse. As his hands got entangled¹² in the bridles¹³, he couldn't get an arm free to break the fall. All his 6-feet-4-inches and 215 pounds landed headfirst. Within seconds, he was paralyzed from the neck down and fighting for air like a drowning person. Enduring months of therapy to allow him to breathe for longer and longer periods without respirator, he emerged to lobby for better insurance protection against catastrophic injury.
He also returned to acting¹⁴ in a 1998 production of Rear Window, a modern update of the Hitchcock thriller¹⁵ about a man in a wheelchair who is convinced a neighbor has been murdered. Critics praised his talent and courage, and he was able to communicate effectively enough to tell the story by only acting with his voice and face.
In 2000, Reeve was able to move his index finger. With rigorous therapy, involving repeated electrical stimulation¹⁶ of the muscles, he also regained¹⁷ sensation in other parts of his body. He vowed¹⁸ to walk again. But sadly, he died 4 years later. Dr. Onders, who implanted electrodes in Reeve's diaphragm in a groundbreaking surgery to help him breathe, said the sore that led to his infection was not Reeve's only recent health problem. "Many different problems develop after nine years of not being able to move yourself, having intestinal¹⁹ problems... It just slowly builds up over the years."

1 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

2 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

3 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

4 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

5 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

6 stunts   

n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 )；（广告中）引人注目的花招；愚蠢行为；危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长]，抑制，妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
• The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

8 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

9 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

12 entangled   

adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bird had become entangled in the wire netting. 那只小鸟被铁丝网缠住了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 bridles   

约束( bridle的名词复数 )； 限动器； 马笼头； 系带

参考例句：

• The horses were shod with silver and golden bridles. 这些马钉着金银做的鉄掌。

14 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。

15 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

16 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

17 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

18 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

19 intestinal   

adj.肠的；肠壁；肠道细菌

参考例句：

• A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。 来自辞典例句
• This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。 来自辞典例句