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A new Charlie Chaplin museum has opened near Chaplin's home in Switzerland. Chaplin was banned from the U.S. in 1952 and spent the last 25 years of his life around Vevey, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The newly-opened museum will display items connected to Chaplin's film career and private life, including his cane, his hat, and a violin that he played for the movie soundtracks. 

Economy class syndrome has been diagnosed as the cause of illness among some evacuees near Kumamoto. The area around Kumamoto experienced several strong earthquakes over the past days, and many people have been living in their cars, without stretching their legs. This lack of activity and sitting for long positions can cause life-threatening blood clots, called deep vein thrombosis. The condition is also known as “economy class syndrome” because it was discovered in passengers taking long-range flights.

economy class syndrome: エコノミークラス症候群
deep vein thrombosis:  深部静脈血栓症

civil servant

Xui Li: Did you get the tax documents that you were waiting for? 

Sabirah: Not yet. The people who work at the tax office are civil servants, so they do the work slowly and they make me fill out so many application forms. That’s what civil servants do all day long. It’s really annoying.

Explanation: The phrase “civil servant” means a person who works for the government instead of working for a company. They might work for a city government, a national government, etc. Usually civil servants can be found working for a post office, a city hall, a transportation ministry, health ministry, and other positions. Most civil servants concentrate on paperwork instead of problem-solving skills.

civil servant:  公務員

whiplash injury

Patient:  I was driving my car this afternoon and another car suddenly hit me from behind. My neck was yanked back very suddenly, and now I have a very terrible pain in my neck. Can you help me?

Emergency room responder:  This sounds like a common whiplash injury from a vehicle accident. We’ll take an X-ray of your neck to make sure that no bones are fractured. If the injury is minor, we’ll recommend bed rest and some analgesics, with some anti-inflammatory drugs.

Explanation: A “whiplash” or “whiplash injury” means that the head is suddenly pushed back, causing injury to the neck and head. Whiplash injuries happen during car accidents, and during some high-impact sports such as football. It is important to have a full headrest for the car seat to prevent the head from moving too much during a rear-impact collision.

whiplash injury (noun): 鞭打ち症
rear-impact collision (noun): 追突
yank back (verb): ぐいと引く
analgesics (noun): 鎮痛剤

revoke

Hello Brian:

I’m afraid that the Ministry of Transportation might revoke our taxi operating licence. We need all of our drivers to retake their driving tests and undergo alcohol tests again. Then we have to submit the results to the Ministry.

Explanation:  To “revoke a licence” means to cancel it, or take it away. We use the word “revoke” when discussing official documents. The word “licence” can be spelled “licence” or “license.”

revoke:　取り消す・反故にする