德州石油技术会议参会人数减少

AS IT IS 2016-05-16 Small Crowds at Texas Oil Technology Conference 德州石油技术会议参会人数减少

Low oil prices have reduced oil exploration and development activity around the world.

Tens of thousands of workers have lost jobs with oil companies and in the oil service industry in recent months.

So it was no surprise that attendance¹ was down at the recent Offshore² Technology Conference in Houston, Texas.

The conference has been a meeting place for oil and gas industry representatives for the past 47 years. In other years, large crowds attended the event.

A number of oil services companies were represented at the conference this month. That is because these businesses know that oil prices will one day rise and their services will be needed.

Milo Lu works for the Chinese company HuangHua Group. He told VOA that low prices have reduced oil exploration activity almost everywhere.

“The only area that we still have something going on is probably (the) Middle East -- everywhere else its pretty dead.”

But he said it was important for his company to attend the conference this year.

“You just have to show your face. You still gotta let people know that you're still here.”

Service companies attending the conference offered things like large ships, exploration platforms and small devices that measure oil flow through pipes.

Richard Nott works for Lloyd’s Register Energy, which has offices in London. He admits many companies have stopped looking for oil. But he says they will someday need his company’s help.

“Many of these projects that have been cancelled or deferred⁴, they've not gone away. They have gone away for a rethink as to how we can do this more cheaply, how we can maybe do it quicker, and how we can maybe do it more effectively.”

Steve Kosch represented 3M Corporation at the Offshore Technology Conference. He demonstrated a safety system that helps workers escape from tall structures in a fire or building collapse⁵.

“You still have employees working for you. They're gonna be out there working at heights. And so you have to protect those workers. Obviously, we're trying to find solutions for the employers, to try to find low-cost solutions to their, their needs.”

In recent weeks, world oil prices have stopped their sharp drop. But most people at the conference said they are preparing for low prices through next year and beyond.

Words in This Story

offshore – adj. located in the ocean away from the shore

platform – n. a usually raised structure that has a flat surface where people or machines do work

defer³ – v. to choose to do (something) at a later time

cheaply – adv. not costing a lot of money

heights – n. a great distance above the ground

beyond – adv. to or until a later time

1 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。

2 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

3 defer   

vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从

参考例句：

• We wish to defer our decision until next week.我们希望推迟到下星期再作出决定。
• We will defer to whatever the committee decides.我们遵从委员会作出的任何决定。

4 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。