2006年VOA标准英语-OPEC Delays Production Cuts Till February

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
14 December 2006

OPEC oil ministers meeting in Nigeria have agreed to cut the organization's overall production by half a million barrels a day in February, but turned down calls for more immediate¹ cuts. Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA from Abuja.

 
OPEC President Edmund Daukoru, speaks to journalists in Abuja, 14 Dec. 2006
 

The Organization of Petroleum² Exporting Countries Thursday agreed in principle to suspend production by 500,000 barrels a day on February 1.

The move to cut the organization's overall production by about two percent sent world oil prices higher. However, the ministers, who had been widely expected to agree to cut production as early as January, decided³ against such a move.

Some ministers had been pushing for earlier cuts to address and oversupply⁴, but oil experts say stocks of oil have been tightening⁵.

The decision was believed to be a compromise and an attempt to bridge differences between members who supported maintaining current production levels and those pressing for cutbacks. OPEC ministers said they may consider a review of production in February.

OPEC produces about a third of the world's oil supplies. Members meet regularly to fix their output quota⁶ to control prices and maximize their oil revenues.

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, who opened the session, blamed what he called extraneous⁷ factors for the difficulties in achieving stability in the international oil market and urged OPEC members to pool their resources in a new drive to limit the dominance of Western oil companies.

 
Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo at the OPEC meeting in Abuja, 14 Dec. 2006
"It appears that what our countries have gained from controlling our God-endowed natural resources is now being lost through the near total domination of the service sector⁸ of the industry by a few foreign companies," he said. "Admittedly, the oil industry is capital intensive and high-tech⁹, thus giving advantage to the industrialized nations. However, if we pool our expertise¹⁰ together, share experiences, research findings and technologies, I do believe that we will soon come to effectively control not only our resources, but the technology to control them."

Nigeria, the world's sixth largest oil producer and a leading member of OPEC, is hosting its first ever OPEC meeting. Security remains¹¹ an issue in the most populous¹² nation in Africa, especially in the troubled Niger Delta¹³ where foreign oil workers are routinely kidnapped.

Nigeria's police have deployed¹⁴ some 2,500 men in the capital to ensure maximum security.

Nigeria's oil minister and current OPEC president, Mr. Daukoru says by hosting the session, Nigeria is hoping to change its negative perception abroad.

"It is good to bring OPEC here so that people can savor¹⁵ what has been achieved, taking the strides in other sectors¹⁶, not just the oil sector," he said. "When people are far away, distant news always sound more ominous¹⁷ than its really is. It is very good to be here. There are some who at first consideration, would not want to be here. We encourage you to move around."

 

The 11-member OPEC reduced its output quota last October in Doha to check a slide in prices. The Abuja meeting also approved Angola's membership and appointed a new secretary-general.

Angola is sub-Saharan Africa's second largest oil producer after Nigeria.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 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。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 oversupply   

n.供应过量；v.过度供给

参考例句：

• The market softened because of oversupply.市场因供过于求而疲软。
• Overexpansion of tea fields has led to oversupply.茶园过度扩张，使得市场上逐渐供过于求。

5 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

6 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

7 extraneous   

adj.体外的；外来的；外部的

参考例句：

• I can choose to ignore these extraneous thoughts.我可以选择无视这些外来的想法。
• Reductant from an extraneous source is introduced.外来的还原剂被引进来。

8 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。

9 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

10 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 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。

13 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

14 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

15 savor   

vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味

参考例句：

• The soup has a savor of onion.这汤有洋葱味。
• His humorous remarks added a savor to our conversation.他幽默的话语给谈话增添了风趣。

16 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。