voa标准英语2008年-East Timor Renews Claim on Lucrative Oil and Ga

The president of East Timor has urged Australian resources giant, Woodside Petroleum¹, to support its plan to base a multi-billion-dollar oil and gas plant in his impoverished² nation rather than in the Australian city of Darwin. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

The East Timorese government is drawing up plans to develop a pipeline³ and petrochemicals facility to process oil and gas from the Greater Sunrise field. Experts think the field, which lies in waters claimed by both East Timor and Australia, could be worth $90 billion.

East Timor's plan competes with one by Australian company Woodside Petroleum, which wants to build a 500-kilometer pipeline to Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory.

Woodside executives say that laying the oil and gas pipeline to East Timor would make supplies vulnerable to political uncertainties⁴ in the tiny nation.

Under a licensing⁵ agreement, neither country can develop the field without permission from the other, and they must finalize⁶ a development plan within five years.

The East Timor president presented his arguments this week in an address to the Northern Territory parliament.
　

Jose Ramos-Horta (file)

Jose Ramos-Horta says that East Timor is the logical destination for an oil and gas pipeline, because it is closer to the field than Darwin is.

"While Timor Leste is eternally grateful to Australia for its steadfast⁷ support since '99, our sincere sense of gratitude⁸ cannot be such that we surrender all to Darwin," he said. "The pipeline will go where it should go, the shortest route and the cheapest."

Mr. Ramos-Horta was seriously wounded in an assassination⁹ attempt earlier this year and was flown to Darwin for life-saving surgery.

The attack prompted Australia to send an additional troops and police officers to the East Timor capital Dili because of fears of further unrest.

Peacekeepers from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal were sent to East Timor more than two years ago when fighting broke out between disaffected¹⁰ members of the military and units loyal to the government.

The impoverished former Portuguese¹¹ colony voted to secede¹² from Indonesia in 1999 and became an independent country three years later.

1 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。

2 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

5 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

6 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

7 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

8 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

9 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

10 disaffected   

adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的

参考例句：

• He attracts disaffected voters.他吸引了心怀不满的选民们。
• Environmental issues provided a rallying point for people disaffected with the government.环境问题把对政府不满的人们凝聚了起来。

11 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

12 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。