Obama to Request Crackdown on Oil Traders

 　　President Barack Obama proposed tougher measures Tuesday to fight the illegal manipulation of oil markets, saying his plan would protect American consumers against artificially inflated¹ gasoline prices.

　　The country cannot have some speculators reap millions of dollars in illegal profits while consumers suffer, said Obama. “We cannot afford a situation where speculators artificially manipulate markets by buying up oil, creating the perception of a shortage and driving prices higher, only to flip² the oil for a quick profit."

　　The president is asking Congress for $52 million worth of reforms in the way oil trading is monitored. He wants to hire six times more employees at the Commodity Futures³ Trading Commission, which supervises oil markets.

　　He also wants to raise the penalties for market rigging and allow regulators to require more money to back up speculative⁴ trading. “Things that we can do administratively⁵, we are doing," he noted⁶.  "And I call on Congress to pass a package of measures to crack down on illegal activity and hold accountable those who manipulate the market for private gain at the expense of millions of working families."

　　As with many of the president’s initiatives, the stricter oil market regulations could face an uncertain future in Congress.  The top Senate Republican, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, criticized Obama’s proposal as a political stunt⁷. “The president’s goal here is not to do something about the problem," suggested McConnell. "It is to make people think he is doing something about the problem until the next crisis comes along.”

　　Republicans have vigorously opposed the president’s energy policies and they reject most additional financial regulations, saying it costs jobs.

　　President Obama has been focusing on energy policy lately, with the election less than five months away and Americans worried about the cost of fuel.

　　U.S. gasoline prices have eased somewhat in recent weeks, after surging in recent months.

1 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

3 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

4 speculative   

adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的

参考例句：

• Much of our information is speculative.我们的许多信息是带推测性的。
• The report is highly speculative and should be ignored.那个报道推测的成分很大，不应理会。

5 administratively   

[医]adv.行政上

参考例句：

• Administratively, the country is divided into counties. 这个国家在行政区划分上分为许多郡。 来自辞典例句
• Administratively permission enactment right is the foundation of administrative systems standardization. 摘要行政许可设定权是行政许可制度规范化的基础。 来自互联网

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。