VOA标准英语2008年-Promise of Lower Fuel Prices Ends Ivory Coast S

A week-long transport strike in Ivory Coast has ended after Prime Minister Guillaume Soro announced the government will lower fuel prices. Brent Latham reports from our West Africa bureau in Dakar, the government promises new fuel subsidies¹.
　
People flee police tear gas after residents of Abobo, a poor Abidjan neighborhood, set up barricades² to stop traffic on first day of a 48-hour strike, 17 Jul 2008

Transport groups in Ivory Coast have called an end to a strike that crippled the country last week. Taxis and busses in the capital, Abidjan, are again moving passengers, after the government announced a reduction in fuel prices.

The government decided³ to cut the price of diesel⁴ and gasoline in response to "the people's cry from the heart," the prime minister said in an address. Mr. Soro said the decision followed an extraordinary meeting of the government chaired by President Laurent Gbagbo.

Mr. Soro said fuel subsidies would be financed by cutting the salaries of government ministers by half. He added the salaries of managers of state-owned companies would also be reduced, along with international travel by government officials.

The program officer for the Abidjan-based National Democratic Institute, Fadimatou Hayatou, says the news was met with reserved optimism by groups that staged demonstrations⁵ last week in Abidjan.

Hayatou says the strikes have ended after a week of protests. She says in ending the strike, the transportation groups have taken the prime minister at his word, but they are still waiting to see what will happen. The transport workers have said they are willing to strike again if the government does not follow through on the proposal.

Last week's strike crippled the capital and several towns in the interior. Thousands of workers were forced to stay home because public transport, in the form of taxis and minibuses, was unavailable.

Mr. Soro said the fuel price initiative would cost the Ivory Coast government nearly $500 million annually⁶.

The prices of diesel and gasoline in Ivory Coast rose sharply two weeks ago when the government abruptly⁷ canceled previous subsidies, saying it could no longer afford to subsidize in the face of the rising cost of crude oil.

The U.S. government's Energy Information Administration reports petroleum⁸ consumption in Ivory Coast has remained stable during the past three years, despite rising fuel prices.

In the meantime, oil production in Ivory Coast has rocketed. Petroleum has supplanted⁹ traditional exports cocoa and coffee as the chief source of export revenue for the government of Ivory Coast. The Energy Information Administration reports the sale of petroleum last year accounted for 28 percent of the government's export revenues.

　

 

1 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

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 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

7 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

8 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。

9 supplanted   

把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In most offices, the typewriter has now been supplanted by the computer. 当今许多办公室里，打字机已被电脑取代。
• The prime minister was supplanted by his rival. 首相被他的政敌赶下台了。