rev, informal, exasperaton, crack a joke, turn oneself in, exasperated.Can European Recognition Bring Palestinian Statehood Any Closer? Not on its own, in all likelihood. But it reflects a growing, global exasperation with Israel that might eventually lend momentum to a two-state solution.

Can European Recognition Bring Palestinian Statehood Any Closer?

Not on its own, in all likelihood. But it reflects a growing, global exasperation with Israel that might eventually lend momentum to a two-state solution.

Anger Rises in Libya as Government Condemns U.S. Raid

By CARLOTTA GALL and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK 9:24 PM ET

Some Libyans, angry at the raid, expressed exasperation at their government’s failures to bring any measure of security to its people.

請問，在台中和高雄之間，你有沒有聽過一個叫「奇埃」的地方？絕大多數民眾對這個地名陌生，但是在華航客機座位前螢幕的衛星飛航地圖上，卻出現了這個奇怪地名。

由於翻譯的錯誤，"嘉義" 竟成了"奇埃"，台灣也因此而憑空冒出了一個聞所未聞的城市(照片摘自網路)。 這個嘉義→Chiai ...



《中英文新聞對照》Putin cracks US spy joke普廷說美國間諜笑話
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who famously launched his career as a spy, used an old secret service joke to demonstrate the levels of bureaucracy plaguing his country.
眾所周知以間諜起家的俄羅斯總理普廷，日前透過一個流傳在密勤人員間的老笑話來呈現俄羅斯官僚問題的嚴重程度。
The joke in which none of the officials want to assume responsibility for arresting a US agent, came days after a bomb blast killed 35 people in a Moscow airport that critics blamed on lapses in security and bureaucratic corruption.
就在莫斯科一座機場發生一枚炸彈爆炸奪走35條人命、外界批評將矛頭指向安全疏失與官僚貪污的數日後，普廷說了這個沒有任何人想為逮捕一名美國間諜負起責任的笑話。
"So an American spy comes to Lubyanka," Putin told a government meeting, referring to the headquarters of the Soviet-era KGB.
「有個美國間諜來到盧比揚卡，」普廷在一場政府會議上說，盧比揚卡是前蘇聯時代間諜組織KGB（國安會）的總部。
"I am a spy and I want to turn myself in," Putin continued with a small smirk on his face.
「我是間諜，我要自首，」普廷笑嘻嘻地繼續說。
"Are you armed?" the US spy is asked, to which he responds yes." Then you have to go to room number seven," a Russian official tells him.
「你身上有武器嗎？」這名美國間諜被如此問道，並答覆他有持武。「那你去7號房，」一名俄羅斯官員告訴他。
There the US spy is asked if he is carrying communication equipment -- another affirmative answer sends the US agent to yet another official’s office.
這名美國間諜在那邊被問及是否攜帶通訊設備——他的肯定答覆又讓他被送到另一名官員的辦公室。
In the end, the exasperated spy is asked by yet another official if he has an actual assignment to work on.
最後，一肚子火的美國間諜又被另一名官員問說，他是否身負實際任務。
"Yes," says the spy.
「是的，」美國間諜答道。
"Then go carry it out and stop bothering people at work," he is told.
「那你就去執行你的任務，別來打擾人家上班，」美國間諜如此被告知。
新聞辭典
crack a joke：慣用語，講笑話。例句：Every time you crack a joke, nobody laughs.（每次你講笑話都沒人捧場。）
plague：動詞，使苦惱，受折磨。
turn oneself in：慣用語，自首，投案。例句：The suspected murderer had turned himself in to police.（謀殺嫌疑犯已向警方自首。）

Can European Recognition Bring Palestinian Statehood Any Closer?

Not on its own, in all likelihood. But it reflects a growing, global exasperation with Israel that might eventually lend momentum to a two-state solution.

crack
(krăk)

v., cracked, crack·ing, cracks. v.intr.

1. To break or snap apart.
2. To make a sharp snapping sound.
3. To break without complete separation of parts; fissure: The mirror cracked.
4. To change sharply in pitch or timbre, as from hoarseness or emotion. Used of the voice.
5. To break down; fail: The defendant's composure finally began to crack.
6. To have a mental or physical breakdown: cracked under the pressure.
7. To move or go rapidly: was cracking along at 70 miles an hour.
8. Chemistry. To break into simpler molecules by means of heat.

v.tr.

1. To cause to make a sharp snapping sound.
2. To cause to break without complete separation of parts: cracked the glass.
3. 1. To break with a sharp snapping sound. See synonyms at break.
   2. To crush (corn or wheat, for example) into small pieces.
4. To open to a slight extent: cracked the window to let in some air.
5. To strike with a sudden sharp sound.
6. Informal.
   1. To break open or into: crack a safe.
   2. To open up for use or consumption: crack a book; cracked a beer.
   3. To break through (an obstacle) in order to win acceptance or acknowledgement: finally cracked the "men-only" rule at the club.
7. To discover the solution to, especially after considerable effort: crack a code.
8. To cause (the voice) to crack.
9. Informal. To tell (a joke), especially on impulse or in an effective manner.
10. To cause to have a mental or physical breakdown.
11. To impair or destroy: Their rude remarks cracked his equanimity.
12. To reduce (petroleum) to simpler compounds by cracking.

n.

1. A sharp snapping sound, such as the report of a firearm.
2. 1. A partial split or break; a fissure.
   2. A slight narrow space: The window was open a crack.
3. A sharp resounding blow.
4. 1. A mental or physical impairment; a defect.
   2. A breaking, harshly dissonant vocal tone or sound, as in hoarseness.
5. An attempt or try: gave him a crack at the job; took a crack at photography.
6. A witty or sarcastic remark. See synonyms at joke.
7. A moment; an instant: at the crack of dawn.
8. Irish. Fun; amusement.
9. Slang. Crack cocaine.

adj.
Excelling in skill or achievement; first-rate: a crack shot; a crack tennis player.

phrasal verbs:
crack down

1. To act more forcefully to regulate, repress, or restrain: The police cracked down on speeding.

crack up Informal.

1. To praise highly: He was simply not the genius he was cracked up to be.
2. 1. To damage or wreck (a vehicle or vessel): crack up a plane; crack up a boat.
   2. To wreck a vehicle in an accident: cracked up on the expressway.
3. To have a mental or physical breakdown: crack up from overwork.
4. To experience or cause to experience a great deal of amusement: really cracked up when I heard that joke.

idiom:
crack the whip

1. To behave in a domineering manner; demand hard work and efficiency from those under one's control.

[Middle English craken, from Old English cracian.]

Can European Recognition Bring Palestinian Statehood Any Closer?

Not on its own, in all likelihood. But it reflects a growing, global exasperation with Israel that might eventually lend momentum to a two-state solution.

exasperation

Pronunciation: /ɪgˌzɑːspəˈreɪʃ(ə)n, ɛg-/

Translate exasperation | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

noun

[mass noun]

a feeling of intense irritation or annoyance:she rolled her eyes in exasperation

----exasperate(ĭg-zăs'pə-rāt')
tr.v., -at·ed, -at·ing, -ates.

1. To make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly.
2. To increase the gravity or intensity of: "a scene . . . that exasperates his rose fever and makes him sneeze" (Samuel Beckett).

[Latin exasperāre, exasperāt- : ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + asperāre, to make rough (from asper, rough).]

解說中的 informal 為日常用語(ĭn-fôr'məl)
adj.

1. Not formal or ceremonious; casual: an informal gathering of friends; a relaxed, informal manner.
2. Not being in accord with prescribed regulations or forms; unofficial: an informal agreement.
3. Suited for everyday wear or use: informal clothes.
4. Being more appropriate for use in the spoken language than in the written language.

.《中英對照讀新聞》Arnie the EU ’presidentor’ draws chuckles and frowns 阿諾想出任歐盟「主席終結者」引來訕笑與不滿
◎俞智敏
It’s a script drawing laughs and frowns among European Union veterans： Arnold Schwarzenegger, EU president, chairing summits next to Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and David Cameron.
這個劇本引來歐盟資深官員的笑聲與不滿：歐盟主席阿諾史瓦辛格與法國總統薩科茲、德國總理梅克爾及英國首相卡麥隆併肩列席、主持高峰會議。
News that the Austrian-born former "Governator" of California was advised to seek the EU presidency has brought smiles to the staid corridors of Brussels, but also exasperation about the EU’s image in the United States.
當這位出生於奧地利的前加州「州長終結者」被勸進參選歐盟主席的消息傳出後，在歐盟位於布魯塞爾總部的莊嚴長廊裡引來不少微笑，但也有不少人對歐盟在美國的形象為之氣結。
Joke or not, Schwarzenegger would have his first shot at the post in mid-2012, at the end of the first two-and-a-half-year term of European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, a button-down former Belgian premier.
不論是不是開玩笑，史瓦辛格都得要等到2012年中、歐盟理事會現任主席范宏畢的兩年半任期屆滿時才可能有機會初試身手，作風中規中矩的范宏畢曾任比利時總理。
But "Conan the Barbarian" can forget about flexing his political muscle against the haiku-writing Van Rompuy in a US-style presidential campaign.
但這位演過電影「王者之劍」的明星可別想在美式的主席競選活動中，與愛寫俳句的范宏畢較量政治實力。
Instead, the action hero would have to charm and cajole 27 people with their own big egos：the bloc’s 27 heads of state and government, the only people who get to nominate and vote for the EU Council president.
反之，這位動作電影英雄必須設法魅惑、哄騙27位同樣自視甚高的政治人物，也就是歐盟27個成員國的元首，只有這些人才有資格提名並投票給歐盟主席。
新聞辭典


have/take a shot at something：片語，非正式用法，指首度嘗試做某事，如He’s proven himself to be a talented actor and now he’s having a shot at directing his first play.（他已經證明自己是個有天份的演員，現在又首度嘗試執導他的第一齣戲。）
button-down：形容詞，亦可寫成 buttoned-down，指保守的、傳統的或缺乏想像力的，如He is a colorful character in the buttoned-down, dull-gray world of business.（在作風保守、死氣沈沈的商界，他倒是個有趣的人物。）
flex one’s muscles：片語，指採取行動展現實力，如The latest bomb scare was just the terrorists flexing their muscles - showing us they haven’t gone away.（最新一起炸彈恐嚇是恐怖份子企圖展現實力──向我們證明他們並沒有消失。）


Germany's engine, however, has spewed toxic fumes. As manufacturers rev exports, the rest of Europe has been unable to compete.

rev

(rĕv) Informal.
n.
A revolution, as of a motor.
v., revved, rev·ving, revs. v.tr.

1. 1. To increase the speed of (a motor, for example): revved the engine.
   2. To accelerate or increase: orders to rev up factory output.
2. To make livelier or more productive: revving ourselves up for the game; efforts to rev the economy.

v.intr.

1. To operate at an increased speed: heard the motors revving.
2. To accelerate in quantity or activity.