reel, Crumples, crumble, coffee break, Fika

California, a Broke State, Reels as Voters Rebuff Leaders
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
After voters rejected measures to prevent financial catastrophe, calls for an overhaul of the state’s Constitution grew louder.

Fika在瑞典語中的大致意思是一起喝咖啡，吃甜點聊天的休憩時刻。

瑞典人成功就靠這個秘訣？ - BBC 主页

瑞典人的工作和生活有一個不可或缺的傳統，被視為是瑞典人成功的秘訣，而現在這種獨特傳統正在世界各地開始流行起來。

BBC.COM

Swiss Bank Under Pressure to End Secret Account Concept

The secrecy of Swiss bank accounts is one of the most important pillars of
the Swiss economy. But it's a pillar that's beginning to crumble.

The DW-WORLD Article
http://newsletter.dw-world.de/re?l=evytqxI44va89pI2

crumble (BREAK)
verb
1 [I or T] to break, or cause something to break, into small pieces:
She nervously crumbled the bread between her fingers.
The cliffs on which the houses are built are starting to crumble.

2 [I] to weaken in strength and influence:
Support for the government is crumbling.

crumbly
adjective
breaking easily into small pieces:
bread with a crumbly texture



美元對歐元等一直貶值。不過，遊客雖然對商品價碼直呼不可思議，
仍然趨之若鶩：
It’s O.K.,” said Mr. Kingsley, 59, with a resigned laugh. “I’ll just have to work a few extra years to pay off this vacation.” His wife, Laura, did her best to soothe him. “It’s just play money,” she said.

By now, five summers after the dollar began its long swoon against the euro and the pound, American travelers are used to $5 cups of coffee and triple-digit dinner checks in Europe’s great capitals. But the dollar’s latest plunge — to record lows of $1.38 to the euro and $2.05 to the pound — has turned mere sticker shock into a form of disbelief for many tourists.
--Americans Still Flock to Europe as Dollar Drops

紐約時報有時會更改文章的標題，譬如說上篇改成：
• As Dollar Crumples, Tourists Overseas Reel
美元重貶，美國海外觀光客頭昏眼花。

注：
The verb “crumple” has 4 meanings:
Meaning #1: fall apart; also used metaphorically
Synonyms: crumble, tumble, break down, collapse

“reel “也多義：
• To feel dizzy: My head reeled with the facts and figures.

reel (MOVE) Show phonetics
verb [I]
1 to walk moving from side to side, looking like you are going to fall:
At closing time he reeled out of the pub and fell down on the pavement.
She hit him so hard that he reeled backwards.

2 If the place where you are reels, what you are looking at seems to go round and round in front of you:
A stone hit his head and the street reeled before his eyes.

3 If you reel, or your mind or brain reels, you feel very confused or shocked and unable to act:
We were reeling (in amazement/shock/delight, etc. from/with the news that we had won all that money.

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)