BBC news 2009-08-19 加文本

1.After eight years of legal wrangling, the tribunal made an award across a vast range of issues.

make an award在这里是作出裁决的意思，相当于rule.

2.Last month, the IMF said the global economy was beginning to pull out of recession.

pull out of拉出,退出

例句：Our Australian partner pull out of the contract.
      我们澳大利亚合伙人退了合同。

      Can you pull this nail out of my shoe?
      你能从我的鞋上拔出这个钉子吗？

3.He continues with a series of warnings about how difficult that recovery may be.

a series of一系列,一连串

例句：A series of misfortunes visited the family.
      这一家遭到一连串的厄运。

4.But its view seems to be that the glass may now be half full rather than half empty.

glass half full or half empty经常出现，一般用于人生态度方面。比如，桌上半杯水，从你的眼里看到的是一半是满的，还是一半是空的？就好像一个面圈，你看到的是外面的圈还是里面的空心部分呢？所以，这句话实际上是在说乐观还是悲观。而原句所说的，be half full rather than half empty指的是形势比较乐观。