单选集
单选集
Saudi Arabia, the oil industry’s swing producer, has become its flip-flopper. In February, it persuaded OPEC to cut its total production quotas by lm barrels per day (bpd), to 23.5m, as a precaution against an oil-price crash this spring. That fear has since been replaced by its opposite. The price of West Texas crude hit $40 last week, its highest since the eve of the first Iraq war, prompting concerns that higher oil prices could sap the vigour of America’s recovery and compound the frailty of Europe’s. On Monday May 10th, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, called on OPEC to raise quotas, by at least 1. 5m bpd, at its next meeting on June 3rd.
Thus far, the high oil price has been largely a consequence of good things, such as a strengthening world economy, rather than a cause of bad things, such as faster inflation or slower growth. China’s burgeoning economy guzzled about 6m bpd in the first quarter of this year, 15% more than a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. Demand was also strong in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, growing by 5.2% to 8. 1m bpd. As the year progresses, the seasonal rhythms of America’s drivers will dictate prices, at least of the lighter, sweeter crudes. Americans take to the roads en masse in the summer, and speculators are driving up the oil price now in anticipation of peak demand in a few months’ time.
Until recently, the rise in the dollar price of oil was offset outside America and China by the fall in the dollar itself. But the currency has regained some ground in recent weeks, and the oil price has continued to rise. Even so, talk of another oil price shock is premature. The price of oil, adjusted for inflation, is only half what it was in December 1979, and the United States now uses half as much energy per dollar of output as it did in the early 1970s. But if oil cannot shock the world economy quite as it used to, it can still give it "a good kick", warns Goldman Sachs. If average oil prices for the year come in 10% higher than it forecast, it reckons GDP growth in the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations will be reduced by 0.3%, or $70 billion.
The Americans are certainly taking the issue seriously. John Snow, their treasury secretary, called OPEC’s February decision "regrettable", and the rise in prices since then "not helpful". Washington pays close heed to the man at the petrol pump, who has seen the average price of a gallon of unleaded petrol rise by 39 cents in the past year. And the Saudis, some mutter, pay close heed to Washington.
Besides, the high oil price may have filled Saudi coffers, but it has also affronted Saudi pride. Mr. al-Naimi thinks the high price is due to fears that supply might be disrupted in the future. These fears, he says, are "unwarranted". But the hulking machinery in the Arabian desert that keeps oil flowing round the world presents an inviting target to terrorists should they tire of bombing embassies and nightclubs. (ha May 1st, gunmen killed six people in a Saudi office of ABB Lummus Global, an American oil contractor. Such incidents add to the risk premium factored into the oil price, a premium that the Saudis take as a vote of no confidence in their kingdom and its ability to guarantee the supply of oil in the face of terrorist threats.
By "a good kick", Goldman Sachs suggests that ______.
A:U.S. currency is exerting a positive influence over oil price B:another oil-price shock is inevitable given its continuing rise C:the rise of oil price could affect world economy negatively D:Goldman Sachs remained optimistic about the situation
Text 2
Saudi Arabia, the oil industry’s swing producer, has become its flip-flopper. In February, it persuaded OPEC to cut its total production quotas by lm barrels per day (bpd), to 23.5m, as a precaution against an oil-price crash this spring. That fear has since been replaced by its opposite. The price of West Texas crude hit $40 last week, its highest since the eve of the first Iraq war, prompting concerns that higher oil prices could sap the vigour of America’s recovery and compound the frailty of Europe’s. On Monday May 10th, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, called on OPEC to raise quotas, by at least 1.5m bpd, at its next meeting on June 3rd.
Thus far, the high oil price has been largely a consequence of good things, such as a strengthening world economy, rather than a cause of bad things, such as faster inflation or slower growth. China’s burgeoning economy guzzled about 6m bpd in the first quarter of this year, 15% more than a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. Demand was also strong in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, growing by 5.2% to 8. lm bpd. As the year progresses, the seasonal rhythms of America’s drivers will dictate prices, at least of the lighter, sweeter crudes. Americans take to the roads en masse in the summer, and speculators are driving up the oil price now in anticipation of peak demand in a few months’ time.
Until recently, the rise in the dollar price of oil was offset outside America and China by the fall in the dollar itself. But the currency has regained some ground in recent weeks, and the oil price has continued to rise. Even so, talk of another oil-price shock is premature. The price of oil, adjusted for inflation, is only half what it was in December 1979, and the United States now uses half as much energy per dollar of output as it did in the early 1970s. But if oil cannot shock the world economy quite as it used to, it can still give it "a good kick", warns Goldman Sachs. If average oil prices for the year come in 10% higher than it forecast, it reckons CDP growth in the Group of Seven (CT) rich nations will be reduced by 0.3%, or $70 billion.
The Americans are certainly taking the issue seriously. John Snow, their treasury secretary, called OPEC’s February decision "regrettable", and the rise in prices since then "not helpful". Washington pays close heed to the man at the petrol pump, who has seen the average price of a gallon of unleaded petrol rise by 39 cents in the past year. And the Saudis, some mutter, pay close heed to Washington.
Besides, the high oil price may have filled Saudi coffers, but it has also affronted Saudi pride. Mr. al-Naimi thinks the high price is due to fears that supply might be disrupted in the future. These fears, he says, are "unwarranted". But the hulking machinery in the Arabian desert that keeps oil flowing round the world presents an inviting target to terrorists should they tire of bombing embassies and nightclubs. On May 1st, gunmen killed six people in a Saudi office of ABB Lummus Global, an American oil contractor. Such incidents add to the risk premium factored into the oil price, a premium that the Saudis take as a vote of no confidence in their kingdom and its ability to guarantee the supply of oil in the face of terrorist threats.
A:U.S. currency is exerting a positive influence over oil price B:another oil-price shock is inevitable given its continuing rise C:the rise of oil price could affect world economy negatively D:Goldman Sachs remained optimistic about the situation
High oil prices have not yet produced an economic shock among consuming countries, but further rises, especially sharp (1) , would undoubtedly hurt the world economy, and (2) would inevitably harm producers, too. Beyond this obvious point, (3) , higher prices could even do harm to both oil firms and producers.
Big oil firms (4) rolling in money today, but that disguises the fact that their longer-term prospects are (5) . Behind the reserves-accounting scandal at Royal Dutch/ Shell (6) a problem bedevilling all of the majors: replacing their dwindling reserves. (7) existing fields in Alaska and the North Sea are rapidly declining, OPEC countries and Russia are (8) them out. (9) they are to survive in the long term, the big oil firms must embrace other sources of energy (10) oil.
(11) it is to believe, higher oil prices could be bad news for producing countries (12) . Political leaders in Russia, Venezuela and other oil-rich countries are bending laws to crack (13) on foreign firms and to strengthen their grip on oil (14) through state-run firms. This may be convenient for the political leaders themselves. Alas, it is (15) to do much for their countrymen. For years corruption and inefficiency (16) the typical results of government control of oil resources.
Producing countries should (17) embrace open markets. (18) one thing, shutting out foreign investment will only hurt their own oil output by (19) the sharpest managers and latest technologies. For another, economic liberalisation (including reform of bloated welfare states) would help OPEC countries (20) their economies--as the NAFTA trade deal has done for oil-rich Mexico--and so prepare them for the day when the black gold starts running out.
A:ones B:shock C:prices D:countries
Text 2
| Saudi Arabia, the oil industry’s swing
producer, has become its flip-flopper. In February, it persuaded OPEC to cut its
total production quotas by lm barrels per day (bpd), to 23.5m, as a precaution
against an oil-price crash this spring. That fear has since been replaced by its
opposite. The price of West Texas crude hit $40 last week, its highest since the
eve of the first Iraq war, prompting concerns that higher oil prices could sap
the vigour of America’s recovery and compound the frailty of Europe’s. On
Monday May 10th, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, called on OPEC to
raise quotas, by at least 1. 5m bpd, at its next meeting on June 3rd. Thus far, the high oil price has been largely a consequence of good things, such as a strengthening world economy, rather than a cause of bad things, such as faster inflation or slower growth. China’s burgeoning economy guzzled about 6m bpd in the first quarter of this year, 15% more than a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. Demand was also strong in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, growing by 5.2% to 8. 1m bpd. As the year progresses, the seasonal rhythms of America’s drivers will dictate prices, at least of the lighter, sweeter crudes. Americans take to the roads en masse in the summer, and speculators are driving up the oil price now in anticipation of peak demand in a few months’ time. Until recently, the rise in the dollar price of oil was offset outside America and China by the fall in the dollar itself. But the currency has regained some ground in recent weeks, and the oil price has continued to rise. Even so, talk of another oil price shock is premature. The price of oil, adjusted for inflation, is only half what it was in December 1979, and the United States now uses half as much energy per dollar of output as it did in the early 1970s. But if oil cannot shock the world economy quite as it used to, it can still give it "a good kick", warns Goldman Sachs. If average oil prices for the year come in 10% higher than it forecast, it reckons GDP growth in the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations will be reduced by 0.3%, or $70 billion. The Americans are certainly taking the issue seriously. John Snow, their treasury secretary, called OPEC’s February decision "regrettable", and the rise in prices since then "not helpful". Washington pays close heed to the man at the petrol pump, who has seen the average price of a gallon of unleaded petrol rise by 39 cents in the past year. And the Saudis, some mutter, pay close heed to Washington. Besides, the high oil price may have filled Saudi coffers, but it has also affronted Saudi pride. Mr. al-Naimi thinks the high price is due to fears that supply might be disrupted in the future. These fears, he says, are "unwarranted". But the hulking machinery in the Arabian desert that keeps oil flowing round the world presents an inviting target to terrorists should they tire of bombing embassies and nightclubs. (ha May 1st, gunmen killed six people in a Saudi office of ABB Lummus Global, an American oil contractor. Such incidents add to the risk premium factored into the oil price, a premium that the Saudis take as a vote of no confidence in their kingdom and its ability to guarantee the supply of oil in the face of terrorist threats. |
A:U.S. currency is exerting a positive influence over oil price B:another oil-price shock is inevitable given its continuing rise C:the rise of oil price could affect world economy negatively D:Goldman Sachs remained optimistic about the situation
Saudi Arabia, the oil industry’s swing producer, has become its flip-flopper. In February, it persuaded OPEC to cut its total production quotas by lm barrels per day (bpd), to 23.5m, as a precaution against an oil-price crash this spring. That fear has since been replaced by its opposite. The price of West Texas crude hit $40 last week, its highest since the eve of the first Iraq war, prompting concerns that higher oil prices could sap the vigour of America’s recovery and compound the frailty of Europe’s. On Monday May 10th, Ali al-Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, called on OPEC to raise quotas, by at least 1.5m bpd, at its next meeting on June 3rd.
Thus far, the high oil price has been largely a consequence of good things, such as a strengthening world economy, rather than a cause of bad things, such as faster inflation or slower growth. China’s burgeoning economy guzzled about 6m bpd in the first quarter of this year, 15% more than a year ago, according to Goldman Sachs. Demand was also strong in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, growing by 5.2% to 8. lm bpd. As the year progresses, the seasonal rhythms of America’s drivers will dictate prices, at least of the lighter, sweeter crudes. Americans take to the roads en masse in the summer, and speculators are driving up the oil price now in anticipation of peak demand in a few months’ time.
Until recently, the rise in the dollar price of oil was offset outside America and China by the fall in the dollar itself. But the currency has regained some ground in recent weeks, and the oil price has continued to rise. Even so, talk of another oil-price shock is premature. The price of oil, adjusted for inflation, is only half what it was in December 1979, and the United States now uses half as much energy per dollar of output as it did in the early 1970s. But if oil cannot shock the world economy quite as it used to, it can still give it "a good kick", warns Goldman Sachs. If average oil prices for the year come in 10% higher than it forecast, it reckons CDP growth in the Group of Seven (CT) rich nations will be reduced by 0.3%, or $70 billion.
The Americans are certainly taking the issue seriously. John Snow, their treasury secretary, called OPEC’s February decision "regrettable", and the rise in prices since then "not helpful". Washington pays close heed to the man at the petrol pump, who has seen the average price of a gallon of unleaded petrol rise by 39 cents in the past year. And the Saudis, some mutter, pay close heed to Washington.
Besides, the high oil price may have filled Saudi coffers, but it has also affronted Saudi pride. Mr. al-Naimi thinks the high price is due to fears that supply might be disrupted in the future. These fears, he says, are "unwarranted". But the hulking machinery in the Arabian desert that keeps oil flowing round the world presents an inviting target to terrorists should they tire of bombing embassies and nightclubs. On May 1st, gunmen killed six people in a Saudi office of ABB Lummus Global, an American oil contractor. Such incidents add to the risk premium factored into the oil price, a premium that the Saudis take as a vote of no confidence in their kingdom and its ability to guarantee the supply of oil in the face of terrorist threats.
By "a good kick", Goldman Sachs suggests that______.
A:U.S. currency is exerting a positive influence over oil price B:another oil-price shock is inevitable given its continuing rise C:the rise of oil price could affect world economy negatively D:Goldman Sachs remained optimistic about the situation
Usually you will not get a shock by touching the electric ray in one place only because （ ）
A:a torpedo’s electric cells contain more than one electric plates B:to complete the circuit, you have to touch the fish in two places C:the current in one place is not strong enough to give a shock D:the fish’s electric cells are filled with jelly-like substance
Culture shock is an occupational disease(职业病) for people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad.
Culture shock is caused by the anxiety that results from losing all familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. Those signs are as following: when to shake hands and what to say when meet people, when and how to give tips, how to make purchases, when to accept and refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not. These signs, which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, or customs, are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we accept. All of us depend on hundreds of these signs for our peace of mind and day-to-day efficiency, but we do not carry most at the level of conscious awareness.
Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these familiar signs are removed. No matter how broadminded or full of good will you may be, a series of supports have been knocked from under you, followed by a feeling of frustration. When suffering from culture shock people first reject the environment which caused discomfort. The ways of the host country are bad because they make us feel bad. When foreigners in a strange land get together to complain about the host country and its people, you can be sure that they are suffering from culture shock.
A:culture shock is an occupational disease B:culture shock is caused by the anxiety of living in a strange culture C:culture shock has peculiar symptoms D:it is very hard to cope with life in a new setting
Culture shock is an occupational disease(职业病) for people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad.
Culture shock is caused by the anxiety that results from losing all familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. Those signs are as following: when to shake hands and what to say when meet people, when and how to give tips, how to make purchases, when to accept and refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not. These signs, which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, or customs, are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we accept. All of us depend on hundreds of these signs for our peace of mind and day-to-day efficiency, but we do not carry most at the level of conscious awareness.
Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these familiar signs are removed. No matter how broadminded or full of good will you may be, a series of supports have been knocked from under you, followed by a feeling of frustration. When suffering from culture shock people first reject the environment which caused discomfort. The ways of the host country are bad because they make us feel bad. When foreigners in a strange land get together to complain about the host country and its people, you can be sure that they are suffering from culture shock.
A:culture shock is an occupational disease B:culture shock is caused by the anxiety of living in a strange culture C:culture shock has peculiar symptoms D:it is very hard to cope with life in a new setting
