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　　Oil prices in Asia slipped briefly¹ below $60 a barrel for the first time in more than 18 months, then rallied to $61, after a two-day plunge².
亚洲市场原油价格在过去18个月里首次降到每桶60美元以下。经过两天的大幅度下跌后，亚洲油价后来又反弹到61美元。
Analysts³ say that worries over the state of the world economy and prospects⁴ for growth in the United States are forcing the oil price down.
分析人士说，全球经济现状以及美国经济增长前景引发的忧虑导致油价下降。
Prices have fallen about 60 percent since peaking at more than $147 a barrel in mid-July.
自从国际油价在今年7月中旬达到高峰后，迄今为止已经下降了60%。
Tumbling prices have followed mounting economic problems in the United States, where unemployment is rising and retail⁵ sales are falling. There are signs that other developed economies also face a severe recession, which will cut oil demand.
The gloom about demand is forcing traders to sell oil contracts.
需求的降低迫使交易商抛售原油期货合同。
Bruce Robinson is with the Australian Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, an organization representing scientists. He says that high prices may have contributed to the current financial crisis.
澳大利亚高峰石油天然气研究协会是一个代表科学家的行业组织。该协会的布鲁斯.罗宾逊说，高油价可能助长了目前的金融危机。
"The high oil price may well have played a serious part in triggering the recession rather than the other way around," he said. "But either way, the oil price has fallen and OPEC is cutting production, and the bad news is that it gives us false hope that oil prices are on the way down when almost surely they're on the way up in the long term."
他说：“高油价可能在很大程度上诱发了目前的衰退，而不是经济衰退引发高油价。但不管怎么样，油价已经降下来，欧佩克正在减产。坏消息是，这让我们错误地希望油价处在下行周期，而实际上，长期来看，油价几乎毫无疑问地是在往上走。”
The Organization of Petroleum⁶ Exporting Countries, OPEC, agreed to lower production by 1.5 million barrels a day in October. Its members are scheduled to meet again in December.
今年10月，欧佩克同意每天削减150万桶原油产量。12月，欧佩克成员国将再次开会。
The actions of central banks have also affected⁷ the market.
全球主要央行的举措也影响了市场。
The decision by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank to lower interest rates this week is a further sign of worsening economic conditions in Europe. The cuts sent the euro down sharply against the U.S. dollar, which in turn triggered a sell-off in oil, which is priced in dollars.
本星期，欧央行和英格兰银行的降息决定进一步显示出欧洲经济的恶化。降息决定宣布后，欧元兑美元急剧贬值。这随即引发了原油抛售。国际市场的原油用美元标价。
In Australia, gasoline prices have retreated, although falls have been limited because of the weakness of the Australian dollar against its American counterpart.
在澳大利亚，汽油价格也出现下降。不过，由于澳元兑美元走软，所以澳大利亚汽油降价幅度有限。
In Asia Friday morning, oil prices fell briefly to just under $60, then settled slightly above $61 a barrel.
在亚洲，星期五上午，油价一度跌破每桶60美元，随后稳定在略高于61美元的价位。