P Reports 2011 Gains As It Braces for Oil Spill Trial

 　　British oil giant BP says it made nearly $40 billion in profits last year even as it prepares for the opening of a massive trial later this month about damages that resulted from the company's 2010 oil rig explosion off the southern U.S. coastline.

　　With higher oil prices through much of last year, BP chief executive Bob Dudley said Tuesday the firm's revenues are increasing and it was able to erase¹ nearly $4 billion in 2010 losses. BP raised the dividend² it pays stockholders by 14 percent.

　　An oil rig operated by BP and its corporate³ partners exploded in April 2010 in the Gulf⁴ of Mexico. Eleven workers were killed and nearly five million barrels of oil spewed into the waters over a three-month period before the well was capped. It was the worst-ever offshore⁵ oil spill in the United States and the company now says it expects the damages from the accident to total $43 billion.

　　BP faces about 600 civil lawsuits⁶ brought by individuals and companies damaged as the oil spread in the gulf, and from the U.S. government, which says the company violated the country's environmental regulations. A combined trial is set to start February 27 in New Orleans, Louisiana, a major city near where the spill occurred.

　　BP's Dudley said the firm remains⁷ willing to settle the lawsuits "on fair and reasonable terms," but that if it cannot, it is "preparing vigorously for trial."

1 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

2 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。

3 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

6 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。