题目内容

8、With oil prices approaching the symbolic mark of $ 100 a barrel, the world is heading towards its third energy shock in a generation. But today's rise is   1    different from the oil crises in the 1970s and 1980s. It will have a greater global impact.

       The   2    oil shocks were caused by sudden interruptions in exports from the Middle East. But this time prices have been rising steadily as   3   gasoline in both developed countries and developing economies grows. This is the world’s first demand-led energy shock.

       Oil prices   4  $ 98.6 on the New York Mercantile Exchange before falling back to $ 96.4 at the close of trading last Wednesday. Forecasts of future oil prices   5    widely. Virtually no one foresees a return to the $20 oil of a decade ago. It means consumers should face an era of high fuel   6   .

       For most of the 20^th century,   7   was cheap and abundant. Throughout the 1990s,

   8  ,oil prices averaged $20 a barrel. Even at today’s highs, luckily, for the Americans, oil is

   9  than imported bottle water.

       The concern today is over how the   10    sector（行业）will meet the growth in demand over the longer term.

       China faces the   11   . Rapid industrialization has come at a price: Oil demand has increased more than three times since 1980. It turned a country that was once self-sufficient into an oil   12   .

       Today, however, China consumes only a third as much oil as the US, which burns a quarter of the   13   oil each day. Europe has managed to reduce oil consumption through high gasoline taxes, small cars and   14   public transportation. But Americans have not.

       Experts say no one should count on oil prices rising forever. Economic   15    in the world’s major economies will probably send prices down.

1．A．nearly                   B．generally              C．fundamentally      D．traditionally

2．A．past                      B．unexpected          C．world                  D．recent

3．A．supply of              B．demand for          C．reservation of      D．production of

4．A．remained               B．stroke                 C．dropped              D．hit

5．A．range                    B．reach                  C．are                      D．predict

6．A．import                  B．consumption        C．payment              D．costs

7．A．food                     B．oil                       C．labors                 D．material

8．A．for example           B．however              C．nevertheless         D．therefore

9．A．consumed more     B．cleaner                C．more expensive    D．cheaper

10．A．industrial             B．power                C．energy                D．various

11．A．chance                B．challenge             C．crises                  D．charge

12．A．exporter              B．importer              C．consumer            D．producer

13．A．nation’s               B．region’s               C．world’s               D．fuel

14．A．reducing              B．effective              C．efficient              D．increasing

15．A．control           B．growth          C．advancement      D．slowdowns