美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden looks to secure more oil production during his Saudi Arabia trip

Biden looks to secure more oil production during his Saudi Arabia trip

Transcript¹

President Joe Biden is poised² to ask oil-producing Gulf³ leaders to ramp⁴ up oil production when he visits Saudi Arabia. How much more can they produce and how much of a difference will it make?

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

With soaring inflation and high gas prices, President Biden has toned down his moral outrage⁵ over Saudi Arabia's human rights record. Biden is in Saudi Arabia today where he is poised to ask oil-rich Gulf leaders there to keep pumping more oil, which would drive gas prices down here at home. For more, we turn to NPR's Arezou Rezvani, who covers energy. Good morning, Arezou.

AREZOU REZVANI, BYLINE⁶: Hey, Rachel.

MARTIN: What are the chances the Saudis are going to ramp up oil production?

REZVANI: So OPEC has increased its output in recent weeks, but more is still needed. And this would be a pretty big ask from Biden. Relations between the U.S. and the Saudis have been strained for quite a while now, and it wasn't long ago that Biden vowed⁷ to make Saudi Arabia a global pariah⁸ for ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet here we are a few years later, Americans are fed up with the high gas prices. Midterm elections are coming up and Biden is there to, yes, talk about regional security issues and also because the Saudis are the largest oil producer within OPEC. They have the power to sway prices. I talked to Helima Croft about this. She's the global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets. She says the Saudis really have the most oil to spare at the moment, but even for them, there are limits.

HELIMA CROFT: Saudi Arabia is producing a little over 10 million barrels a day. Their sustainable capacity is 12 million. But do they want to max out their spare capacity? And the argument that they keep making is if we give you our remaining spare capacity, there will be no shock absorbers left in this market to deal with any future supply disruptions.

REZVANI: So disruptions could be another geopolitical crisis. She pointed⁹ to renewed unrest in Libya, another member of OPEC, as an example or a natural disaster. So even if OPEC does increase its production, it probably won't be by much.

MARTIN: The oil market is dependent on so many things geopolitically, right? I mean, just explain what other forces are at play right now.

REZVANI: Well, the inflation around the world is driving fears of a global economic slowdown. That anxiety could put a lid on demand and keep oil prices from climbing. But then there's the issue of Russia. The latest round of Russian sanctions haven't kicked in yet. European countries that have depended on their oil imports will be cutting back soon. Limiting that oil in an already strained market, that could shoot prices back up. And also there's no telling how Russian President Vladimir Putin will react or retaliate¹⁰ to the pressure. So there's a lot still up in the air.

MARTIN: I mean, gas prices here have been so astronomically¹¹ high, Arezou, but they have been dipping. Can you explain why?

REZVANI: So there are a combination of factors driving this. In China, COVID cases are on the rise again. The prospect¹² of lockdowns is slowing down demand in that major market. Then here in the U.S., consumption has cooled a bit amid signs that the global economy is slowing. But analysts¹³ say this reprieve¹⁴ could be short lived as Western sanctions intensify¹⁵ on Russia later this year.

MARTIN: So what are the president's options? If the Saudis say no, where else can he look? What are the other options to try to lower or stabilize¹⁶ gas prices?

REZVANI: Yeah, this is something that came up in a conversation I had with oil expert Daniel Yergin. He says the key to bringing down oil prices may not be in the Middle East but right here at home through the Fed and in ways that may not be very comforting to hear.

DANIEL YERGIN: Its objective is to fight inflation, but the collateral¹⁷ damage is economic growth, and a slowdown in the economy would reduce demand, and that would take some of the pressure off price.

REZVANI: So basically, it may take something as extreme and dramatic as slowing down the whole economy to get gas prices back under control.

MARTIN: NPR's Arezou Rezvani. Thank you so much.

REZVANI: You're welcome.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

5 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

8 pariah   

n.被社会抛弃者

参考例句：

• Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village.不一会儿，汤姆碰上了村里的少年弃儿。
• His landlady had treated him like a dangerous criminal,a pariah.房东太太对待他就像对待危险的罪犯、对待社会弃儿一样。

9 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

10 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

11 astronomically   

天文学上

参考例句：

• The bill was astronomically high. 账单上的金额高得没谱儿。
• They have only been read as the multitude read the stars, at most astrologically, not astronomically. 它们之被群众阅读，有如群众之阅览繁星，至多是从星象学而不是从天文学的角度阅览的。

12 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

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 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

15 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

16 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

17 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。