2002考研英语阅读真题 Text 3(英语二) .pdf

2002 Text 3 （英语⼆）⽯油价格 Text 3 短⽂ 3 Could the bad old days of economic decline be about to return? 过去经济衰落的⽇⼦会不会重来？ Since OPEC agreed to supply-cuts in March, the price of crude oil has jumped to almost $26 a barrel, up from less than $10 last December. ⾃从⽯油输出国组织在 3 ⽉决定减少原油供应，原油的价格便从去年12⽉的不到10美元⼀桶上升到约 26 美元⼀桶。 This near-tripling of oil prices calls up scary memories of the 1973 oil shock, when prices quadrupled, and 1979-80, when they also almost tripled. 这次近 3倍的涨价令⼈想起了 1973 年和 1979～1980 年两次可怕的⽯油恐慌，当时的油价分别涨了 4 倍 和近 3 倍。 Both previous shocks resulted in double-digit inflation and global economic decline. 前两次的油价暴涨都导致了两位数的通货膨胀和全球性的经济衰退。 So where are the headlines warning of gloom and doom this time? 那么这次警告⼈们厄运来临的头版新闻都到哪⾥去了呢？ The oil price was given another push up this week when Iraq suspended oil exports . 本周伊拉克暂停⽯油出⼝，这使油价⼜⼀次上扬。 Strengthening economic growth , at the same time as winter grips the northern hemisphere , could push the price higher still in the short term. 强劲的经济增⻓势头，随着北半球冬季的到来，有可能在短期内使⽯油价格涨得更⾼。 Yet there are good reasons to expect the economic consequences now to be less severe than in the 1970s. 然⽽ ，我们有充分的理由预期这次油价暴涨给经济带来的影响不会像 20世纪70年代那么严重。 In most countries the cost of crude oil now accounts for a smaller share of the price of petrol than it did in the 1970s. 与 70年代相⽐，现在多数国家的原油价格占汽油价格的份额要⼩很多。 In Europe , taxes account for up to four-fifths of the retail price , so even quite big changes in the price of crude have a more muted effect on pump prices than in the past. 在欧洲，税⾦在汽油零售价的⽐例⾼达 4/5，因此，即使原油价格发⽣很⼤的波动，汽油价格所受的影 响也不会像过去那么显著。 Rich economies are also less dependent on oil than they were, and so less sensitive to swings in the oil price. 发达国家对⽯油的依赖性也不如从前，因此对油价的波动也就不会那么敏感。 Energy conservation, a shift to other fuels and a decline in the importance of heavy, energy-intensive industries have reduced oil consumption . 节约能源、燃料替代以及能源密集型重⼯业的重要性的降低，都减少了⽯油消耗量。 Software, consultancy and mobile telephones use far le