油价上涨带动委内瑞拉经济发展

High Oil Prices Fuel Venezuelan Economy

油价上涨带动委内瑞拉经济发展

 

2004 saw Venezuela's biggest economic expansion on record, at just over 17 percent of gross domestic product. Economist¹ Orlando Ochoa says growth is continuing this year.

 

He said the Venezuelan economy is growing. For 2005, we are registering growth of seven to eight percent.

 

What is driving the boom? In a word: oil. Revenue from oil exports has tripled from $12 billion in 1998 to an expected $36 billion this year. Where is the money going? Orlando Ochoa says, as fast as revenue is pouring into President Chavez' coffers, it is pouring out even faster to pay for massive social programs as well as regional initiatives, like the purchasing of Ecuadorian and Argentine debt.

 

He said the problem with this current expansion is that it is being driven by public sector² spending, extraordinary oil prices, and debt creation, and is therefore unsustainable in the long-term.

 

Economists³ like Mr. Ochoa worry that the Chavez administration is assuming ever-higher oil prices year after year, and that even a slight moderation in world prices could throw the country into a fiscal⁴ crisis.

 

Venezuelan Vice⁵ President Jose Vicente Rangel said the need to fight poverty outweighs⁶ concerns about the deficit⁷.

 

He said we have many problems to overcome that stem from a long history of social inequalities. We must invest a great deal of money to combat them. And so, if it is necessary to place the country in debt and raise the deficit in order to reduce poverty levels, we will do it.

 

Venezuela's oil wealth has brought the country new leverage⁸ and influence within the hemisphere. Venezuela has signed deals to provide more than a dozen Caribbean nations with oil at a discounted rate in return for goods and services. One special case is Cuba, which has dispatched thousands of doctors to tend to Venezuela's poor under a bilateral⁹ cooperation pact¹⁰ that provides Havana with inexpensive fuel.

 

Oil accounts for 80 percent of Venezuela's exports, and the largest purchaser is the United States. But President Chavez has threatened to cut off U.S.-bound oil shipments, accusing the United States of harboring plans to invade his country. The Bush administration denies the charge, and the U.S. Ambassador in Caracas, William Brownfield, says whatever differences exist between Washington and Caracas, their long-standing energy relationship should be preserved.

 

William Brownfield: Venezuela and the U.S. are natural partners in oil for simple, common sense, geographic¹¹ reasons. A barrel of oil that departs a Venezuelan port arrives at a U.S. refinery¹² in five to six days. That same barrel that is going to a place like China for example, requires 46-50 days to get there, and then arrives at a refinery that is not tooled to process that particular grade of oil.

 

Analysts¹⁴ say Venezuela needs oil revenue from the United States just as badly as the United States needs fuel from Venezuela, and that a cut-off of crude shipments is unlikely. Nevertheless, Venezuela is looking to diversify¹⁵ its global energy relationships, and the country's state-owned oil company recently opened an office in Beijing.

 

Whether Venezuela's oil wealth is being put to good use is a matter of debate. President Chavez points out that, under his administration, spending on housing, education, health and food distribution have increased dramatically. Opposition¹⁶ leader Julio Borges of the "Justice First" Party ["Primero Justicia'] says poverty rates are higher now than in 1998 when Mr. Chavez was first elected.

 

He said in terms of benefits from more than $300 billion in oil revenues earned in seven years [since Mr. Chavez came to power], look at the statistics. When it comes to constructing a stable, open, modern society, this has not been accomplished¹⁷ despite the highest oil prices in world history.

 

Others say Venezuela's oil wealth is a mixed blessing¹⁸: a boon¹⁹ to government coffers, but one that promotes a kind of national lethargy, leading Venezuelans to demand redistribution of oil revenue rather than seeking out economic opportunities for themselves.

 

Caracas public opinion pollster and analyst¹³ Alfredo Keller, he says Venezuelans believe oil is infinite and superlative, meaning that it can be used to solve everything and will never run out. Ninety-two percent of the people believe that Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world. But then comes the question: if the country is so rich, why am I so poor? It is this contradiction that generates frustration²⁰ and a demand for [economic] redistribution.

 

The Chavez administration insists progress is being made in combating poverty, but that the battle will not be won overnight. As for the future, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel says he is aware that large oil-consuming nations like the United States want to reduce their dependence²¹ on foreign fuel, either through conservation or alternate energy sources.

 

He says the idea that oil will be replaced is something I have heard for many years. But it turns out that, everyday, the world needs more petroleum²². We have 200 years worth of oil reserves. And not only oil, we have gas - Venezuela is the world's eighth largest producer of natural gas. This is an energy-laden²³ country.

 

注释：

coffer [5kCfE] n. 国库

leverage [5li:vEridV] n. 优势，力量

Havana [hE5vAnE] n. 哈瓦那（古巴首都）

refinery [ri5fainEri] n. 精炼厂

boon [bu:n] n. 恩惠，实惠，福利

lethargy [5leWEdVi] n. 无生气

superlative [sju:5pE:lEtiv] adj. 最高的

laden [5leidn] adj. 装满的

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 outweighs   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的第三人称单数 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• Her need to save money outweighs her desire to spend it on fun. 她省钱的需要比她花钱娱乐的愿望更重要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Its clarity in algebraic and analytical operations far outweighs any drawbacks. 文化代数和解析运算中的清晰性远远胜过任何缺点。 来自辞典例句

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

9 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

11 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

13 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

14 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。

15 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

16 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。

17 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

18 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

19 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。

20 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

21 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。

22 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

23 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。