Ashton Kutcher tops Forbes highest-paid TV actors list

 Ashton Kutcher tops Forbes highest-paid TV actors list

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Actor Ashton Kutcher rose atop the Forbes annual list as the highest paid actor on U.S. television, while his predecessor¹ on "Two and a Half Men" and the ranking's long-time winner Charlie Sheen was unable to make the list, according to figures released by Forbes on Thursday.

Kutcher won the derby with an annual take of 24 million U.S. dollars ending in May 2012. His fortune mainly comes from the CBS show, on which he took over from Sheen in the lead role, and his investment in Silicon² Valley, according to the magazine.

Sheen, the volatile³ actor who top the list last year with 40 million, totally disappear from the raking.

Hugh Laurie and Ray Romano tied in No. 2 with 18 million dollars each, although their shows, "House" and "Men of a Certain Age" respectively, were off the air. Laurie earned his money mainly from the show and his fortune is set to suffer unless he lands new roles in shows and films. Romano still benefits from reruns of television show "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Ice Age" film series.

Ranked at No. 4 are Alec Baldwin and Mark Harmon, who tied with 15 million dollars among them.

Rounding out the 10 highest paid television actors on the annual Forbes list are Jon Cryer of "Two and a Half Men" (USD 13 million), Patrick Dempsey of "Grey's Anatomy⁴" (USD 12 million), Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki of "The Big Bang Theory" (USD 8 million each), and Jason Segel of "How I Met Your Mother" (USD 8 million).

1 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

2 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。