If you leave a loaded weapon lying around, it is bound to go off sooner or later. Snow-covered northern Europe heard the gunshot loud and clear when Russia cut supplies to Ukraine this week as part of a row about money and power, the two eternal battlegrounds of global energy. From central Europe right across to France on the Atlantic seaboard, gas supplies fell by more than one-third. For years Europeans had been telling themselves that a cold-war enemy which had supplied them without fail could still be depended on now it was an ally. Suddenly, nobody was quite so sure.
Fearing the threat to its reputation as a supplier, Russia rapidly restored the gas and settled its differences with Ukraine. But it was an uncomfortable glimpse of the dangers for a continent that imports roughly half its gas and expects to be importing 80% of its gas by 2030 much of it from Russia. It was scarcely more welcome for America, which condemned Russia s tactics. And no wonder: it consumes one-quarter of the world’s oil, but produces only 3% of the stuff. Over the coming years, the world’s dependence on oil looks likely to concentrate on the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia. Russian oil had seemed a useful alternative.
Fear of the energy weapon has a long history. When producers had the upper hand in the oil embargo of 1973-74, Arab members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut supply, sowing turmoil and a global recession. When consumers had the upper hand in the early 1990s, the embargo cut the other way. After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, the world shut in 5m barrels a day (b/d) of production from the two countries in an attempt to force him out.
With oil costing $ 60 a barrel, five times more than the nominal price in 1999, and spot prices for natural gas in some European and American markets at or near record levels, power has swung back to the producers for the first time since the early 1980s. Nobody knows how long todays tight markets will last. "It took us a long time to get there and it will take us a long time to get back," says Robin West, chairman of PFC Energy in Washington. A clutch of alarmist books with titles such as "The Death of Oil" predict that so little oil is left in the ground that producers will always have pricing power. The question is how worried consumers should be. What are the threats to energy security and what should the world do about them? The answers suggest a need for planning and a certain amount of grim realism, but not for outright panic. [452 words]
1. Which of the following is compared to "a loaded weapon going off"?
A. Northern Europe heard the gunshot loud and clear.
B. Gas supplies fell remarkably in Europe.
C. Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine.
D. Russia had a fierce row with Ukraine.
2. The Europeans ______
A. can still depend on Russia for the supply of gas
B. contended with their cold war enemy, Russia, for a long time
C. are glad to have Russia as their ally to supply them gas
D. worry about the possible unreliability of gas Supply from Russia
3. According to the text, America ______.
A. poses a threat to Russia’s reputation as an oil supplier
B. wakes up to the dangers Russia’s oil tactics may bring
C. is less vulnerable economically than European continent
D. has shifted its dependence on oil from the middle east to Russia
4. An oil embargo ______.
A. leads to the decrease of oil supply
B. leads to the decrease of oil demand
C. signals an imminent global recession
D. may serve as a powerful weapon
5. In the face of the shortage of oil supply, the consumers should ______
A. be well prepared for the grim future
B. be more optimistic than ever before
C. be no less worried than the producers
D. be no more worried than the producers
全文翻譯
如果你把裝滿子彈的武器隨處亂放，遲早會(huì)走火。大雪覆蓋的北歐清楚地聽到了響亮的槍聲，本周俄羅斯中斷了對(duì)烏克蘭的石油供應(yīng)，這是對(duì)金錢和權(quán)利爭吵的結(jié)局，而金錢和權(quán)利是全球能源問題所涉及的兩個(gè)永無休止的爭論題目。橫跨整個(gè)中歐直至法國的大西洋海岸線上各國的石油供應(yīng)減少了三分之一還多。俄羅斯在冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)期曾以敵人的姿態(tài)為歐洲人提供石油，且從未中斷。這使得歐洲人多年來一直認(rèn)為，這個(gè)敵人既然都變成_r盟友，當(dāng)然可以繼續(xù)依靠了。但突然之間，一切都不再是確數(shù)了。
由于擔(dān)心其作為主要石油供應(yīng)國的聲名受損，俄羅斯還是盡快地恢復(fù)了石油供應(yīng)并彌合了其與烏克蘭之問的分歧。歐洲大陸用的石油大約一半靠進(jìn)口，預(yù)計(jì)到2030年將有80％靠進(jìn)口，而且主要靠從俄羅斯進(jìn)口?？吹剿暗娘L(fēng)險(xiǎn)，著實(shí)令人不安。此舉在美國也并不受歡迎，美國還就此事批評(píng)了俄羅斯的戰(zhàn)略舉措。它的擔(dān)心當(dāng)然是有根據(jù)的：因?yàn)樗牧耸澜缟纤姆种坏脑?，但只產(chǎn)出3％的相關(guān)產(chǎn)品。在隨后的幾年當(dāng)中，世界原油的供應(yīng)者看上去將會(huì)集中在中東各國，特別是沙特阿拉伯。與此同時(shí)，俄羅斯的原油也不失為一個(gè)好的選擇。
對(duì)以能源作為戰(zhàn)略武器的擔(dān)憂由來已久。1973年至1974年石油禁運(yùn)時(shí)，產(chǎn)油國處于有利地位，石油輸出國組織(OPEC)中的阿拉伯成員國削減供給，引發(fā)混亂和全球經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣。90年代初石油消費(fèi)國處于有利地位時(shí)，石油禁運(yùn)的后果剛好相反。1990年薩達(dá)姆·侯賽因入侵科威特之后，全世界以每天禁運(yùn)兩國500萬桶產(chǎn)油量的經(jīng)濟(jì)制裁來迫使其從科威特撤兵。
當(dāng)石油價(jià)格達(dá)到每桶60美元，即比1999年的標(biāo)稱價(jià)格高5倍多，天然氣的現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格在歐洲和美國一些市場達(dá)到或接近記錄的水平時(shí)，自80年代初以來，能源權(quán)力首次回到產(chǎn)油國手中。。沒人能說清今天這樣緊俏的市場需求能持續(xù)多長時(shí)間?！拔覀?nèi)r(shí)花了多少時(shí)間，回來時(shí)也得用掉那么多時(shí)間。”位于華盛頓的PFC能源機(jī)構(gòu)主席羅賓·威斯特做出了如上評(píng)論。也有一群喜歡大驚小怪的人著書立說，打著《石油之死》這樣的標(biāo)題，預(yù)言說由于地下儲(chǔ)油量已不多因此生產(chǎn)商總能掌握定價(jià)權(quán)。其實(shí)，問題在于消費(fèi)者到底應(yīng)該擔(dān)心到什么程度，能源安全到底面臨著怎樣的威脅，以及針對(duì)這些威脅世界各國應(yīng)怎樣應(yīng)對(duì)?這些問題的答案都提示著我們需要進(jìn)行詳盡的計(jì)劃并認(rèn)清現(xiàn)實(shí)，而不是一味地恐慌。
參考答案： 1．C 2．D 3．B 4．D 5．A
難句透析
①[If you leave a loaded weapon lying around’]，it is bound to go off sooner or later．Snow-covered northern Europe heard the gunshot loud and clear when Russia cut supplies tO Ukraine this week as part of a row about money and power，the two eternal battlegrounds of global energy]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】第一個(gè)方括號(hào)部分是“If”引導(dǎo)的條件狀語從句。第二個(gè)方括號(hào)部分是“When”引導(dǎo)的時(shí)間狀語從句。
【釋義】如果你把裝滿子彈的武器隨處亂放，遲早會(huì)走火。大雪覆蓋的北歐清楚地聽到了響亮的槍聲，本周俄羅 斯中斷了對(duì)烏克蘭的石油供應(yīng)，這是對(duì)金錢和權(quán)利爭吵的結(jié)局，而金錢和權(quán)利是全球能源問題所涉及的兩個(gè)永無 休止的爭論題目。
②For years Europeans had been telling themselves[that a cold—war enemy(which had supplied them without fail) could still be depended on(now it was an ally)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號(hào)部分是“had been tellin9”的賓語從句。
【釋義】俄羅斯在冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)期曾以敵人的姿態(tài)為歐洲人提供石油，且從未中斷。這使得歐洲人多年來一直認(rèn)為，這 個(gè)敵人既然都變成了盟友，當(dāng)然可以繼續(xù)依靠了。
⑨But it was an uncomfortable glimpse of the dangers for a continent[that imports roughly half its鼬s and expects to be importing 80%of its gas by 2030 much of it from Russia]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號(hào)部分是“continent”的后置定語從句。其中有兩個(gè)并列的謂語動(dòng)詞“imports"和“expects”。
【釋義】歐洲大陸用的石油大約一半靠進(jìn)口，預(yù)計(jì)到2030年將有80％靠進(jìn)口，而且主要靠從俄羅斯進(jìn)口?？吹剿?冒的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，著實(shí)令人不安。
④[When producers had the upper hand in the oil embargo of l 973—743，Arab members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)cut supply，sowing turmoil and a global recession． [When consumers had the upper hand in the early l990s]，the embargo cut the other way．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】兩個(gè)方括號(hào)部分都是“When”引導(dǎo)的時(shí)間狀語從句。
【釋義】1973年至1974年石油禁運(yùn)時(shí)，產(chǎn)油國處于有利地位，石油輸出國家組織(OPEC)中的阿拉伯成員國削減 供給，引發(fā)混亂和全球經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣。90年代初石油消費(fèi)國處于有利地位時(shí)，石油禁運(yùn)的后果剛好相反。
⑤[With oil costing$60 a barrel five times more than the nominal price in 1999，and spot prices for natural gas in some European and American markets at or near record levels]，power has swung back to the producers for the first time since the early 1980s．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號(hào)部分是介詞短語“with…”，用做狀語。介詞“with”后面跟有兩個(gè)并列的賓語。
【釋義】當(dāng)石油價(jià)格達(dá)到每桶60美元，即比1999年的標(biāo)稱價(jià)格高5倍多，天然氣的現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格在歐洲和美國一些 市場達(dá)到或接近記錄的水平時(shí)，自80年代初以來，能源權(quán)力首次回到產(chǎn)油國手中。
超綱詞匯
alarmist n．大驚小怪者，杞人憂天者
battleground n．戰(zhàn)爭斗爭的舞臺(tái)，爭論題
embargo n．禁止出入港口，禁運(yùn)
nominal adj．標(biāo)稱的，名義的
nominal price名義價(jià)格，票面價(jià)格，虛價(jià)
outright adj．徹底的，完全的
recession n．不景氣，工商業(yè)衰退期
row n．吵架，爭吵
spot price現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格
turmoil n．騷動(dòng)，混亂
upper hand優(yōu)勢，上風(fēng)，有利地位
Fearing the threat to its reputation as a supplier, Russia rapidly restored the gas and settled its differences with Ukraine. But it was an uncomfortable glimpse of the dangers for a continent that imports roughly half its gas and expects to be importing 80% of its gas by 2030 much of it from Russia. It was scarcely more welcome for America, which condemned Russia s tactics. And no wonder: it consumes one-quarter of the world’s oil, but produces only 3% of the stuff. Over the coming years, the world’s dependence on oil looks likely to concentrate on the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia. Russian oil had seemed a useful alternative.
Fear of the energy weapon has a long history. When producers had the upper hand in the oil embargo of 1973-74, Arab members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cut supply, sowing turmoil and a global recession. When consumers had the upper hand in the early 1990s, the embargo cut the other way. After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, the world shut in 5m barrels a day (b/d) of production from the two countries in an attempt to force him out.
With oil costing $ 60 a barrel, five times more than the nominal price in 1999, and spot prices for natural gas in some European and American markets at or near record levels, power has swung back to the producers for the first time since the early 1980s. Nobody knows how long todays tight markets will last. "It took us a long time to get there and it will take us a long time to get back," says Robin West, chairman of PFC Energy in Washington. A clutch of alarmist books with titles such as "The Death of Oil" predict that so little oil is left in the ground that producers will always have pricing power. The question is how worried consumers should be. What are the threats to energy security and what should the world do about them? The answers suggest a need for planning and a certain amount of grim realism, but not for outright panic. [452 words]
1. Which of the following is compared to "a loaded weapon going off"?
A. Northern Europe heard the gunshot loud and clear.
B. Gas supplies fell remarkably in Europe.
C. Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine.
D. Russia had a fierce row with Ukraine.
2. The Europeans ______
A. can still depend on Russia for the supply of gas
B. contended with their cold war enemy, Russia, for a long time
C. are glad to have Russia as their ally to supply them gas
D. worry about the possible unreliability of gas Supply from Russia
3. According to the text, America ______.
A. poses a threat to Russia’s reputation as an oil supplier
B. wakes up to the dangers Russia’s oil tactics may bring
C. is less vulnerable economically than European continent
D. has shifted its dependence on oil from the middle east to Russia
4. An oil embargo ______.
A. leads to the decrease of oil supply
B. leads to the decrease of oil demand
C. signals an imminent global recession
D. may serve as a powerful weapon
5. In the face of the shortage of oil supply, the consumers should ______
A. be well prepared for the grim future
B. be more optimistic than ever before
C. be no less worried than the producers
D. be no more worried than the producers
全文翻譯
如果你把裝滿子彈的武器隨處亂放，遲早會(huì)走火。大雪覆蓋的北歐清楚地聽到了響亮的槍聲，本周俄羅斯中斷了對(duì)烏克蘭的石油供應(yīng)，這是對(duì)金錢和權(quán)利爭吵的結(jié)局，而金錢和權(quán)利是全球能源問題所涉及的兩個(gè)永無休止的爭論題目。橫跨整個(gè)中歐直至法國的大西洋海岸線上各國的石油供應(yīng)減少了三分之一還多。俄羅斯在冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)期曾以敵人的姿態(tài)為歐洲人提供石油，且從未中斷。這使得歐洲人多年來一直認(rèn)為，這個(gè)敵人既然都變成_r盟友，當(dāng)然可以繼續(xù)依靠了。但突然之間，一切都不再是確數(shù)了。
由于擔(dān)心其作為主要石油供應(yīng)國的聲名受損，俄羅斯還是盡快地恢復(fù)了石油供應(yīng)并彌合了其與烏克蘭之問的分歧。歐洲大陸用的石油大約一半靠進(jìn)口，預(yù)計(jì)到2030年將有80％靠進(jìn)口，而且主要靠從俄羅斯進(jìn)口?？吹剿暗娘L(fēng)險(xiǎn)，著實(shí)令人不安。此舉在美國也并不受歡迎，美國還就此事批評(píng)了俄羅斯的戰(zhàn)略舉措。它的擔(dān)心當(dāng)然是有根據(jù)的：因?yàn)樗牧耸澜缟纤姆种坏脑?，但只產(chǎn)出3％的相關(guān)產(chǎn)品。在隨后的幾年當(dāng)中，世界原油的供應(yīng)者看上去將會(huì)集中在中東各國，特別是沙特阿拉伯。與此同時(shí)，俄羅斯的原油也不失為一個(gè)好的選擇。
對(duì)以能源作為戰(zhàn)略武器的擔(dān)憂由來已久。1973年至1974年石油禁運(yùn)時(shí)，產(chǎn)油國處于有利地位，石油輸出國組織(OPEC)中的阿拉伯成員國削減供給，引發(fā)混亂和全球經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣。90年代初石油消費(fèi)國處于有利地位時(shí)，石油禁運(yùn)的后果剛好相反。1990年薩達(dá)姆·侯賽因入侵科威特之后，全世界以每天禁運(yùn)兩國500萬桶產(chǎn)油量的經(jīng)濟(jì)制裁來迫使其從科威特撤兵。
當(dāng)石油價(jià)格達(dá)到每桶60美元，即比1999年的標(biāo)稱價(jià)格高5倍多，天然氣的現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格在歐洲和美國一些市場達(dá)到或接近記錄的水平時(shí)，自80年代初以來，能源權(quán)力首次回到產(chǎn)油國手中。。沒人能說清今天這樣緊俏的市場需求能持續(xù)多長時(shí)間?！拔覀?nèi)r(shí)花了多少時(shí)間，回來時(shí)也得用掉那么多時(shí)間。”位于華盛頓的PFC能源機(jī)構(gòu)主席羅賓·威斯特做出了如上評(píng)論。也有一群喜歡大驚小怪的人著書立說，打著《石油之死》這樣的標(biāo)題，預(yù)言說由于地下儲(chǔ)油量已不多因此生產(chǎn)商總能掌握定價(jià)權(quán)。其實(shí)，問題在于消費(fèi)者到底應(yīng)該擔(dān)心到什么程度，能源安全到底面臨著怎樣的威脅，以及針對(duì)這些威脅世界各國應(yīng)怎樣應(yīng)對(duì)?這些問題的答案都提示著我們需要進(jìn)行詳盡的計(jì)劃并認(rèn)清現(xiàn)實(shí)，而不是一味地恐慌。
參考答案： 1．C 2．D 3．B 4．D 5．A
難句透析
①[If you leave a loaded weapon lying around’]，it is bound to go off sooner or later．Snow-covered northern Europe heard the gunshot loud and clear when Russia cut supplies tO Ukraine this week as part of a row about money and power，the two eternal battlegrounds of global energy]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】第一個(gè)方括號(hào)部分是“If”引導(dǎo)的條件狀語從句。第二個(gè)方括號(hào)部分是“When”引導(dǎo)的時(shí)間狀語從句。
【釋義】如果你把裝滿子彈的武器隨處亂放，遲早會(huì)走火。大雪覆蓋的北歐清楚地聽到了響亮的槍聲，本周俄羅 斯中斷了對(duì)烏克蘭的石油供應(yīng)，這是對(duì)金錢和權(quán)利爭吵的結(jié)局，而金錢和權(quán)利是全球能源問題所涉及的兩個(gè)永無 休止的爭論題目。
②For years Europeans had been telling themselves[that a cold—war enemy(which had supplied them without fail) could still be depended on(now it was an ally)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號(hào)部分是“had been tellin9”的賓語從句。
【釋義】俄羅斯在冷戰(zhàn)時(shí)期曾以敵人的姿態(tài)為歐洲人提供石油，且從未中斷。這使得歐洲人多年來一直認(rèn)為，這 個(gè)敵人既然都變成了盟友，當(dāng)然可以繼續(xù)依靠了。
⑨But it was an uncomfortable glimpse of the dangers for a continent[that imports roughly half its鼬s and expects to be importing 80%of its gas by 2030 much of it from Russia]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號(hào)部分是“continent”的后置定語從句。其中有兩個(gè)并列的謂語動(dòng)詞“imports"和“expects”。
【釋義】歐洲大陸用的石油大約一半靠進(jìn)口，預(yù)計(jì)到2030年將有80％靠進(jìn)口，而且主要靠從俄羅斯進(jìn)口?？吹剿?冒的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，著實(shí)令人不安。
④[When producers had the upper hand in the oil embargo of l 973—743，Arab members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)cut supply，sowing turmoil and a global recession． [When consumers had the upper hand in the early l990s]，the embargo cut the other way．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】兩個(gè)方括號(hào)部分都是“When”引導(dǎo)的時(shí)間狀語從句。
【釋義】1973年至1974年石油禁運(yùn)時(shí)，產(chǎn)油國處于有利地位，石油輸出國家組織(OPEC)中的阿拉伯成員國削減 供給，引發(fā)混亂和全球經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣。90年代初石油消費(fèi)國處于有利地位時(shí)，石油禁運(yùn)的后果剛好相反。
⑤[With oil costing$60 a barrel five times more than the nominal price in 1999，and spot prices for natural gas in some European and American markets at or near record levels]，power has swung back to the producers for the first time since the early 1980s．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號(hào)部分是介詞短語“with…”，用做狀語。介詞“with”后面跟有兩個(gè)并列的賓語。
【釋義】當(dāng)石油價(jià)格達(dá)到每桶60美元，即比1999年的標(biāo)稱價(jià)格高5倍多，天然氣的現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格在歐洲和美國一些 市場達(dá)到或接近記錄的水平時(shí)，自80年代初以來，能源權(quán)力首次回到產(chǎn)油國手中。
超綱詞匯
alarmist n．大驚小怪者，杞人憂天者
battleground n．戰(zhàn)爭斗爭的舞臺(tái)，爭論題
embargo n．禁止出入港口，禁運(yùn)
nominal adj．標(biāo)稱的，名義的
nominal price名義價(jià)格，票面價(jià)格，虛價(jià)
outright adj．徹底的，完全的
recession n．不景氣，工商業(yè)衰退期
row n．吵架，爭吵
spot price現(xiàn)貨價(jià)格
turmoil n．騷動(dòng)，混亂
upper hand優(yōu)勢，上風(fēng)，有利地位