Obama Promotes Plan to Fight Rising Fuel Prices

 　　As Americans worry about rising gasoline prices, President Barack Obama is defending his energy policy. The president went on the road Thursday to answer Republican election-year criticism that he is not doing enough to solve the problem.

　　Higher prices at the gasoline pump are making Americans nervous, and White House officials are concerned about the possible effects fuel prices might have on President Obama’s reelection campaign.

　　The president visited the University of Miami in Florida on Thursday to discuss the problem and his administration’s long-term plan to reduce U.S. dependence¹ on foreign oil.

　　Obama told students that the price increases are mostly a result of events in other parts of the world.

　　“Oil is bought and sold in a world market.  And just like last year, the single biggest thing that is causing the price of oil to spike² right now is instability in the Middle East, this time around Iran,” Obama said.

　　Jeff Mower³, editor-in-chief of the New York-based Pratts Oilgram Price Report, agrees that the rise in U.S. gasoline prices is due largely to factors beyond America’s shores.

　　“Tensions surrounding Iran right now, problems over in Sudan, which is shutting crude production - all of this has helped to drive up the price of Brent crude and also gasoline prices,” Mower said.

　　Mower also says that lower profit margins⁴ have led oil companies to close some refineries⁵ outside of the United States, which is also driving up prices.

　　Opposition⁶ Republicans say that Obama is not doing enough to encourage domestic oil production.  At Wednesday’s Republican contender presidential debate, Newt Gingrich said increased drilling would lead to dramatically lower gasoline prices.

　　“If we would open up federal land and open up offshore⁷, you would have $16-18 trillion - not billion-trillion - in royalties⁸ to the federal government in the next generation - an enormous flow, which would drive down prices to $2.50 a gallon, would help [U.S. federal] balance the budget and would create millions of jobs,”  Gingrich said.

　　Republicans have also criticized the president for postponing⁹ a decision on approving the Keystone Pipeline¹⁰ project, which would carry oil from Canada to U.S. refineries.

　　In Miami on Thursday, Obama ridiculed¹¹ Republican criticism.  He said his administration has approved an unprecedented¹² amount of domestic oil and gas production.  But, he said, more drilling alone would not solve the problem.

　　“It means that anybody who tells you that we can drill our way out of this problem does not know what they are talking about or just is not telling you the truth,” Obama said

　　The president again called for support for his comprehensive strategy to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

　　“If we are going to avoid being at the mercy of these world events, we have got to have a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.  Yes, oil and gas - but also wind and solar and nuclear and biofuels and more," he said.

　　Gasoline prices in the United States have reached an average of more than 92 cents per liter.  More than half of the Americans surveyed in a new public opinion poll say that price could exceed $1.32 this year.

　　Analysts¹³ say Florida, the nation's fourth-most populous¹⁴ state, will be a key battle ground in November's presidential election.  After his speech in Miami, Mr. Obama held several campaign fundraising events in Florida.

1 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

2 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

3 mower   

n.割草机

参考例句：

• We need a lawn mower to cut the grass.我们需要一台草坪修剪机来割草。
• Your big lawn mower is just the job for the high grass.割高草时正需要你的大割草机。

4 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

5 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

8 royalties   

特许权使用费

参考例句：

• I lived on about £3,000 a year from the royalties on my book. 我靠着写书得来的每年约3，000英镑的版税生活。 来自辞典例句
• Payments shall generally be made in the form of royalties. 一般应采取提成方式支付。 来自经济法规部分

9 postponing   

v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He tried to gain time by postponing his decision. 他想以迟迟不作决定的手段来争取时间。 来自辞典例句
• I don't hold with the idea of postponing further discussion of the matter. 我不赞成推迟进一步讨论这件事的想法。 来自辞典例句

10 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

11 ridiculed   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Biosphere 2 was ultimately ridiculed as a research debade, as exfravagant pseudoscience. 生物圈2号最终被讥讽为科研上的大失败，代价是昂贵的伪科学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ridiculed his insatiable greed. 她嘲笑他的贪得无厌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。