voa标准英语2008年-Oil Prices Dip Briefly Below $60, Then Rally

Oil prices in Asia slipped briefly¹ below $60 a barrel for the first time in more than 18 months, then rallied to $61, after a two-day plunge². From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Analysts³ say that worries over the state of the world economy and prospects⁴ for growth in the United States are forcing the oil price down.

Prices have fallen about 60 percent since peaking at more than $147 a barrel in mid-July.

Tumbling prices have followed mounting economic problems in the United States, where unemployment is rising and retail⁵ sales are falling. There are signs that other developed economies also face a severe recession, which will cut oil demand.

The gloom about demand is forcing traders to sell oil contracts.

Bruce Robinson is with the Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, an organization representing scientists. He says that high prices may have contributed to the current financial crisis.

"The high oil price may well have played a serious part in triggering the recession rather than the other way around," he said. "But either way, the oil price has fallen and OPEC is cutting production, and the bad news is that it gives us false hope that oil prices are on the way down when almost surely they're on the way up in the long term."

The Organization of Petroleum⁶ Exporting Countries, OPEC, agreed to lower production by 1.5 million barrels a day in October. Its members are scheduled to meet again in December.

The actions of central banks have also affected⁷ the market.

The decision by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank to lower interest rates this week is a further sign of worsening economic conditions in Europe. The cuts sent the euro down sharply against the U.S. dollar, which in turn triggered a sell-off in oil, which is priced in dollars.

In Australia, gasoline prices have retreated, although falls have been limited because of the weakness of the Australian dollar against its American counterpart.

In Asia Friday morning, oil prices fell briefly to just under $60, then settled slightly above $61 a barrel.

1 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

2 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

5 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

6 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。

7 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。