VOA标准英语2008年-Crude Oil Gains Record $10 a Barrel

By Barry Wood
Washington
06 June 2008

Friday was a very volatile¹ day in financial markets as the oil price rebounded² to gain over ten dollars a barrel while US stock prices plummeted³ following the report of a sharp rise in unemployment. VOA's Barry Wood reports.
　

A trader watches the monitor while working at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, 6 June 2008

Oil soared after an Israeli politician raised the specter of an Israeli military strike on Iran, the second largest OPEC oil producer. In New York crude oil rose eight percent, or $10.75, to a record over $138 a barrel. The rise followed a five percent gain on Thursday, bringing oil's two-day advance to a stunning⁴ $16.

Commodity analyst⁵ Edward Meir in Stamford, Connecticut describes the oil market as hysterical⁶. He believes oil prices will eventually come down.

"I personally think we are close to some kind of intraday reversal, which means that we are going to spike⁷ to new highs and close at our lows," he said. "And that will be an indication perhaps of a technical market top. We haven't seen it yet."

Meir spoke⁸ on Bloomberg Television. Other analysts⁹ said oil prices advanced in large part because the dollar has again been weakening against the euro.

On Wall Street the Dow Jones Industrials lost 395 points, their biggest drop in 14 months and the eighth biggest fall ever. The Dow average closed at 12,210, a sharp three percent loss on the day.

The stock market decline began at the open when the Labor¹⁰ Department reported that the US jobless rate in May rose by .5 percent to 5.5 percent. It was the biggest monthly rise in the jobless rate in over 20 years.

President Bush, speaking in Washington, had an explanation for why the jobless rate rose sharply.

"This rise was caused in part by a surge of new young entrants into the job market, but it is clearly a sign that is consistent with slow economic growth," he said.

The US economy grew at a .9 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year. Since the year began over 330,000 Americans have lost their jobs. While technically¹¹ not in recession, many analysts believe the economy has entered a period of decline.

American consumers are being hammered by rising fuel and food prices, a continuing credit squeeze, sluggish¹² growth, a weak job market and declining home prices. The price of gasoline, a major expense for Americans, is up over 50 percent in the past year.

1 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

2 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

3 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 hysterical   

adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的

参考例句：

• He is hysterical at the sight of the photo.他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
• His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned.他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

11 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

12 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。