首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Everyday some 16m barrels of oil leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. That is enough to fill a soft-drink can for everyo
Everyday some 16m barrels of oil leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. That is enough to fill a soft-drink can for everyo
admin
2010-09-06
36
问题
Everyday some 16m barrels of oil leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. That is enough to fill a soft-drink can for everyone on earth, or to power every motor vehicle on the planet for 25 miles (40 km). Gulf oil accounts for 40% of global trade in the sticky stuff. More important, it makes up two-thirds of known deposits. Whereas at present production rates the rest of the world’s oil reserves will last for a mere 25 years, the Gulf’s will last for 100. In other words, the region’s strategic importance is set to grow and grow.
Or at least so goes the conventional wisdom, which is usually rounded out with scary talk of unstable supplies, spendthrift regimes and a potential fundamentalist menace. Yet all those numbers come with caveats. A great deal of oil is consumed by the countries that produce it rather than traded, so in reality the Gulf accounts for less than a quarter of the world’s daily consumption. As for reserves, the figures are as changeable as a mirage in the desert. The most comprehensive research available, conducted by the US Geological Survey, refers to an "expected" total volume for global hydrocarbon deposits that is about double current known reserves. Using that figure, and throwing in natural gas along with oil, it appears that the Gulf contains a more moderate 30% or so of the planet’s future fossil-fuel supplies. Leaving out the two Gulf states that are not covered in this survey—Iran and Iraq—the remaining six between them hold something like 20% of world hydrocarbon reserves, not much more than Russia.
All the same, it is still a hefty chunk; enough, you might think, to keep the people living atop the wells in comfort for the foreseeable future. But you might be wrong. At present, the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council have a combined national income roughly equal to Switzerland’s, but a population which, at around 30m, is more than four times as big. It is also the fastest-growing on earth, having increased at nine times the Swiss rate over the past quarter-century. Meanwhile the region’s share of world oil trade has fallen, as has the average price per barrel.
As a result, the income per person generated by GCC oil exports has been diminishing since the 1970s. True, surging demand from America and Asia has recently boosted the Gulf’s share of trade, but the medium-term outlook for oil pries remains weak. Combined with continued growth in oil consumption, this should create sustained upward pressure on prices. And high oil prices will speed the search for alternatives. Who knows, in 20 years’ time fuel cells and hydrogen power may have started to become commercial propositions.
选项
A、reassuring.
B、changeable.
C、paradoxical.
D、exaggerated.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/9oZ4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Whenpublicschoolingbegantoexpandaccesstoeducationinthe19thcentury,literacywasmainlyaboutlearningtoread,aset
Ifyou’relikemostpeople,youmaythinkyoucankeepawayfromadvertising.Youskipnewspaperads,neverclickonadsonthe
Writeanessaybasedonthefollowingchart.Inyourwriting,youshould1)interpretthechart,and2)giveyourcomments.You
McDonald’s,Greggs,KFCandSubwayaretodaynamedasthemostlitteredbrandsinEnglandasKeepBritainTidy【C1】________fast-f
Nearlyallcultureshaveaversionofthearrowoftime,aprocessbywhichtheymovetowardsthefutureandawayfromthepast.
Theword"schism"(Line3,Paragraph1)inthecontextprobablymeans______.Paragraphs2and3arewrittento______.
(Evenif)automakersmodifycommerciallyproducedcarstorun(on)alternative(fuels),thecarswon’tcatchoninabigway(wh
Ifgoodintentionsandgoodideaswereallittooktosavethedeterioratingatmosphere,theplanet’sfragilelayerofairwould
ThemoleculesofcarbondioxideintheEarth’satmosphereaffecttheheatbalanceoftheEarthbyactingasaone-wayscreen.(1
随机试题
设函数f(x)在(-∞,+∞)内有连续导数,且m≤f(x)≤M,证明:∫-xx[f(t+x)-f(t-x)]dt=f’(0).
中国古代最后一部封建法典为【】
简述我国婚姻家庭法的夫妻扶养义务。
胸痹血瘀轻证选方为胸痹阴寒凝滞重证选方为
代建制的作用主要体现在()。
根据《民用建筑节能条例》,下列关于新建建筑节能要求的说法,正确的有()。
会计差错更正的披露内容有()。
根据企业破产法律制度的规定,下列注册会计师中,不得担任管理人的有()。(2009年)
社会主义市场经济的正常运行与发展,既需要充分发挥市场调节的作用,又需要科学的宏观调控。下列行为属于宏观调控经济手段的是()。
根据国际法规则和习惯,一国船舶在另一国领海内享有“无害通过权”。下列关于“无害通过权”的表述中,不正确的一项是()。
最新回复
(
0
)