Oil prices dropped more than 7% after Western nations released the biggest amount of oil from their emergency strategic stocks since 1991，in a warning shot aimed at OPEC, the oil producers' cartel．

The International Energy Agency （IEA） agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil in the coming month to offset the daily production loss of 1．5 million barrels of high quality oil from Libya （利比亚）．

The US led the release, providing 50% of the oil, with Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Italy providing most of the rest．The IEA said that it was in consultations（磋商）with China, the world's second-largest oil consumer but declined to say whether Beijing would join the effort．

Brent oil prices dropped 7．4% to＄105. 72 after the news was released, before settling at $106．12 in late afternoon trade in London on June 23.

The move is only the third time in the history of the IEA, established in 1974 as a counterbalance to OPEC after the Arab oil crisis: Western governments are concerned about the impact of high oil prices on the economic recovery．

"Greater tightness in the oil market threatens the fragile global economic recovery," the IEA warned．

Steven Chu, US a energy secretary, said "we are taking this action in response to the ongoing loss of oil due to supply decrease in Libya and other countries and their impact on the global economic recovery．"

"As we move forward, we will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to take additional steps if necessary．" The US special oil reserve is currently at a record high level of 727million barrels．

Earlier this month, OPEC members failed to agree an official increase in production quotas despite a concerted effort by Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest producer and traditionally seen as the OPEC leader, to boost output．Iran opposed the increase．Iran's OPEC governor argued that there was no evidence of a supply shortage．

The IEA said in May that it would use all tools at its disposal to increase supply unless the cartel raised production．

72．The underlined word "offset” in the 2nd paragraph probably means "_____”·

    A．come up               B．knock off            C．make up for        D．set off

73．How many barrels of oil did the USA agree to provide from its emergency strategic stocks in the coming month?

    A．60, 000,000          B．45, 000,000          C．30, 000, 000         D．15, 000,000

74．Which of the following countries is against raising oil production?

       A．China．               B．Iran．           C．Libya．             D．Saudi Arabia．

75．What is the main purpose of the IEA's plan of releasing 60 million barrels of oil in the coming month?

    A．To refresh the stock's                                B．To put pressure on Libya government．

    C．To support OPEC．                               D．To ensure global economic recovery．

In the 60s, people asked about your astrological (about star) sign. In the 90s, they want to know your website.   【小题1】  Your website is an electronic meeting place for your family, friends and potentially, millions of people around the world. Best of all, you may not have to spend a cent. The web is filled with all kinds of free services and all it takes is some time and creativity.
  【小题2】  Like the table of contents of a book or magazine, the home page is the front door. Your site can have one or more pages, depending on how you design it.
While web pages vary greatly in their design and content, most use a traditional magazine layout (版面设计). At the top of the page is a banner (横幅). Next comes a greeting and a short description of the site. Pictures, text, and links to other websites follow.
  【小题3】  Think about whom the site is for and what you want to say. Next, gather up the material that you want to put on the site.
While there are no rules you have to follow, there are a few things to keep in mind:   【小题4】 If you are too much at the beginning, you may never get the site off the ground. You can always add to your site.
Less is better. Most people don’t like to read a lot of long text online.   【小题5】  . Smaller is better. Since it can take a long time to download large image files, keep the file sizes small.
Have the rights. Don’t put any material on your site unless you are sure you can do it legally. Always remember to get the permission from the writer first.
Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start building

A．Importance of Transport in Trade

B．Birth of Transport-related Industries and Trade

C．Role of Transport in Trade Development

D．Another Means to Develop Trade

E．Higher Living Standard

F．Modern Life Needs Modern Traffics

1．

Transport is one of the aids to trade．By moving goods from places where they are plentiful to places where they are scarce, transport adds to their value．The more easily goods can be brought over the distance that separates producer and consumer, the better for trade．When there were no railways, no good roads, no canals, and only small sailing ships, trade was on a small scale．

2．

The great advances made in transport during the last two hundred years were accompanied by a big increase in trade．Bigger and faster ships enabled a trade in meat to develop between Britain and New Zealand, for instance．Quicker transport makes possible mass-production and big business, drawing supplies from, and selling goods to, all parts of the globe．Big factories could not exist without transport to carry the large number of workers they need to and from their homes．Big city stores could not have developed unless customers could travel easily from the suburbs and goods delivered to their homes．Big cities could not survive unless food could be brought from a distance．

3．

Transport also prevents waste．Much of the fish landed at the ports would be wasted if it could not be taken quickly to inland towns．Transport has given us a much greater variety of foods and goods since we no longer have to live on what is produced locally．Foods which at one time could be obtained only during a part of the year can now be obtained all through the year．Transport has raised the standard of living．

4．

By moving fuel, raw materials, and even power, for example, through electric cables, transport has led to the establishment of industries and trade in areas where they would have been impossible before．Districts and countries can concentrate on making things which they can do better and more cheaply than others and can then exchange them with one another．The cheaper and quicker transport becomes, the longer the distance over which goods can profitably be carried．Countries with poor transport have a lower standard of living．

5．

Commerce requires not only the moving of goods and people but also the carrying of messages and information．Means of communication, like telephones, cables and radio, send information about prices, supplies, and changing conditions in different parts of the world．In this way, advanced communication system also help to develop trade．