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  3. An extreme cold spell might be unwelcome to much of the Northern Hemisphere, but it is warmly welcomed by one group — the oil ex

An extreme cold spell might be unwelcome to much of the Northern Hemisphere, but it is warmly welcomed by one group — the oil ex

admin2010-11-29  31
问题     An extreme cold spell might be unwelcome to much of the Northern Hemisphere, but it is warmly welcomed by one group — the oil exporters. They have enjoyed a steady rise in the price of a barrel of crude and their satisfaction at the state of affairs is evidenced by the lack of any comment from Opec nations in recent weeks.
    Demand for heating oil, a lead indicator from December to February, is high in Europe, in America’s eastern states and in China. In response to the cold weather, Brent Crude futures have risen by $10 per barrel since the middle of December, to $81 per barrel.
    The oil futures market is in sharp contango — a term used to describe a market where oil is more expensive for delivery at future dates. In other words, market players are betting that the price will rise.
    Expectations of economic recovery are an explanation for the rising price contango, but some analysts worry that the underlying market fundamentals are not that bullish for oil. The Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES) points to the huge stocks of oil, as much as 100 millon barrels, put in storage when demand collapsed at the end of 2008. The CGES reckons that such a harsh winter warrants a much higher oil price. Because underlying demand is weak in a slow economic recovery, the price response has been weak.
    The oil price collapsed a year ago to $36 per barrel, a level at which most Opec nations were facing hardship as the economic rent from exporting crude fell below budgeted government expenditure.
    For green energy technologies, such as biofuels made from plant waste, high prices are critical. In the absence of punishing carbon taxes or a very high carbon price in Europe’s emissions trading system, investors in green technology need an oil price signal that compels the switch to alternatives. The signal was very loud in July 2008, when Brent reached $147 per barrel, but it was also unsustainable as the soaring price of oil was destroying demand and undermining economic growth.
    World demand for oil is still very weak. It fell throughout 2008 and began to recover only in the third quarter of last year. Global demand is 1.8 million barrels a day below its level two years ago. Opec is more or less maintaining its cartel discipline in the face of rising prices, but non-Opec producers are raising their output, adding 570,000 daily barrels to the market last year.
How did Opec nations feel about the price of petrol in recent weeks?
选项 A、They are disappointed.
B、They are hopeless.
C、They are contented.
D、They have no comments.
答案C
解析 细节题、态度题。此题并非询问作者的态度，而是文中涉及的Opec团体对石油价格的态度，所以首先可以定位这一信息出现在第一段， “They have enjoyed a steady rise in the price of a barrel of crude and their satisfaction at the state of affairs is evidenced by the lack of any comment from Opec nations in recent weeks．”可见，Opec团体最近几周都没有对原油价格上涨做出回应，显示出他们对于现状的满意(satisfaction)，选项C中的contented即是满意的意思。选项D具有较大迷惑性，虽然事实上Opec团体的确没有发表意见，但是他们的态度并非是不置可否，这在原文中已经明确写出，所以C是最佳答案。
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