1、专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷 30及答案与解析 0 The oil industry has been on a hot streak this year, thanks to a series of major discoveries that have rekindled a sense of excitement across the petroleum sector, despite falling prices and a tough economy. These discoveries, spanning five continents, are the result of hef
2、ty investments that began earlier in the decade when oil prices rose, and of new technologies that allow explorers to drill at greater depths and break tougher rocks. “Thats the wonderful thing about price signals in a free market it puts people in a better position to take more exploration risk,“ s
3、aid James T. Hackett, chairman and chief executive of Anadarko Petroleum. More than 200 discoveries have been reported so far this year in dozens of countries, including northern Iraqs Kurdish region, Australia, Israel, Iran, Brazil, Norway, Ghana and Russia. They have been made by international gia
4、nts, like Exxon Mobil, but also by industry minnows, like Tullow Oil. Just this month, BP said that it found a giant deepwater field that might turn out to be the biggest oil discovery ever in the Gulf of Mexico, while Anadarko announced a large find in an “exciting and highly prospective“ region of
5、f Sierra Leone. It is normal for companies to discover billions of barrels of new oil every year, but this years pace is unusually brisk. New oil discoveries have totaled about 10 billion barrels in the first half of the year, according to IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. If discoveries con
6、tinue at that pace through year-end, they are likely to reach the highest level since 2000. While recent years have featured speculation about a coining peak and subsequent decline in oil production, people in the industry say there is still plenty of oil in the ground, especially beneath the ocean
7、floor, even if finding and extracting it is becoming harder. They say that prices and the pace of technological improvement remain the principal factors governing oil production capacity. While the industry is celebrating the recent discoveries, many executives are anxious about the immediate future
8、, fearing that lower prices might jeopardize their exploration drive. The world economy is weak, oil prices have tumbled from last years records, corporate profits have shrunk, and global demand for oil remains low. After falling to $34 in December, oil prices have doubled, stabilizing near $70 a ba
9、rrel. But if the world economy does not pick up, some analysts believe the price could fall again. Oil companies contend that is not a prospect they can afford. Despite reaping record profits in recent years, many executives have warned that they need prices above $60 a barrel to develop the worlds
10、more challenging reserves. In fact, some exploration activity has already slowed this year, as producers seek better terms from service companies and contractors. It is not just oil that is benefiting from the exploration boom. Repsol, Spains biggest oil company, said this month that it had discover
11、ed what could turn out to be Venezuelas biggest natural gas field. In recent years, companies have found substantial natural gas reserves in the United States, from shale rocks once believed to be impossible to drill. “The No. 1 question that exploration teams have right now is: Where do we go next?
12、“ said Robert Fryklund, who ran the operations of ConocoPhillips in Libya and Brazil, and is a vice president in Houston at Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Exploration spending swelled in recent years, partly to offset a doubling of costs throughout the industry from steel prices to the cost o
13、f renting deepwater drilling rigs. A big issue confronting the industry now is how to drive down costs while maintaining a high level of exploration. On average, costs have fallen by 15 to 20 percent from their peak, according to petroleum executives. Exploration remains a risky, and costly, busines
14、s, where some deepwater wells can cost up to $100 million. From 30 to 50 percent of exploration wells find oil. Some executives are also worried the world might face a shortfall in supplies in coming years if another decline in oil prices causes exploration to falter. The chief executive of the Fren
15、ch oil giant Total, Christophe de Margerie, has warned that such a supply crunch is possible by the middle of the next decade. “There could be a shortage of capacity,“ he said. His concerns echoed those of Abdullah al-Badri, the secretary general of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countr
16、ies, who said that lower oil prices also threatened investments by OPEC nations. Saudi Arabia is also unlikely to expand its production in coming years because of the uncertainty clouding future oil demand, Ali al-Naimi, the kingdoms oil minister, signaled earlier this month. Saudi Arabia is just co
17、mpleting a $100 billion program to increase its capacity to 12.5 million barrels a day, from around 9 million barrels a day just a few years ago. Although they are substantial, the new finds do not match the giant fields discovered in the 1970s, like Alaskas Prudhoe Bay, Ekofisk in the North Sea, or
18、 Cantarell in Mexico. They are also dwarfed by the last enormous discovery, the Kashagan field in the Caspian Sea, discovered in 2000 and estimated to hold over 20 billion barrels of oil. “We have not seen another Kashagan, but still these finds are very material,“ said Alan Murray, the exploration
19、service manager at Wood Mackenzie, a consulting firm in Edinburgh. Since the early 1980s, discoveries have failed to keep up with the global rate of oil consumption, which last year reached 31 billion barrels of oil. Instead, companies have managed to expand production by finding new ways of getting
20、 more oil out of existing fields, or producing oil through unconventional sources, like Canadas tar sands or heavy oil in Venezuela. Reserve estimates typically rise over the life of a field, which can often be productive for decades, as companies find new ways of getting more oil out of the ground.
21、 The industrys record has improved in recent years, thanks to high prices. According to Cambridge Energy Research Associates, oil companies have found more oil than they produced for the last two years through a combination of exploration and field expansions. “The appetite for opening new frontiers
22、 when prices were low in the 1990s was very small,“ said Paolo Scaroni, the chief executive of Italys oil giant Eni. “Today, the biggest discovery of all is technology.“ 1 New discoveries in the oil industry are the result of the following EXCEPT _. （ A） rising oil prices （ B） new technologies （ C）
23、severe competition （ D） substantial investments 2 Many oil companies are concerned about the following EXCEPT _. （ A） rising costs （ B） low demand （ C） a tough economy （ D） technological improvement 3 What can be inferred from the passage? （ A） Technology is a decisive factor in finding oil. （ B） Oi
24、l companies may stop exploring oil fields in the coming years. （ C） The new discoveries are not comparable to the ones in the 1970s. （ D） There will be no oil fields to be found due to the massive exploration. 4 What does the passage mainly tell us? （ A） The worries that face oil companies. （ B） The
25、 new discoveries that have been made. （ C） The major factors that affect oil production. （ D） The reasons why small companies have the largest finds. 5 Which of the following is the best title for this passage? （ A） Oil Companies See a Bright Future （ B） Technology Is the Biggest Discovery of All （
26、C） Oil Industry Sets A Brisk Pace of New Discoveries （ D） Hefty Investments Make New Discoveries Possible 5 On Wednesday, Sept. 23, President Barack Obama used his first-ever address to the U.N. General Assembly to try and reverse the impression that his ambitious Middle East peace effort had suffer
27、ed a reversal at the hand of Israels hawkish Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. “I am not naive,“ Obama told the gathered world leaders. “I know this will be difficult. But all of us must decide whether we are serious about peace or whether we only lend it lip service.“ Many a jaded commentator saw
28、 Obamas Tuesday meeting with Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as a symbol of surrender to Netanyahus refusal of the U.S. demand that Israel halt all construction on land conquered in 1967. Instead, Netanyahu offered a partial and time-limited freeze and appeared to force t
29、he President of the United States to back down. For Abbas, the handshake with Netanyahu orchestrated by Obama was viewed as a humiliating climb down from his refusal to talk to the Israelis until they implemented that settlement freeze. Netanyahu, briefing the Israeli media after the talks, suggeste
30、d that the Palestinians had also caved in to his demand for a reopening of talks without preconditions on an agenda the two sides would determine in discussions. But Abbas insisted that any talks would be based on the full range of final-status issues established by previous agreementsNetanyahu has
31、publicly ruled out negotiating on two of those issues, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem, which both sides claim as their capital. Abbas appeared to win Obamas backing in the U.N. speech, which made clear that the President has not accepted Netanyahus position on the precu
32、rsor issue of a settlement freeze even if hes decided to move on to the final-status negotiations. “America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements,“ the President insisted on Wednesday. That could be read as a response to the damage Obamas credibility has suffered in the Ara
33、b world as a result of being forced by Netanyahu to retreat on the settlement issue, which had been widely viewed as a test of Israels peacemaking bona tides and had been a centerpiece of Obamas Cairo outreach speech in the spring. But there was an even stronger challenge to Netanyahu in Obamas decl
34、ared plan to relaunch negotiations “that address the permanent-status issues: security for Israelis and Palestinians; borders, refugees and Jerusalem.“ He also spoke of the goal of those negotiations as being the establishment of“ a viable, independent Palestinian state with contiguous territory tha
35、t ends the occupation that began in 1967.“ While many analysts focused on Tuesdays meeting as an Obama admission of defeat on settlements, some were more optimistic. Former Israeli peace negotiator Daniel Levy believes that the Administrations pivot on the issue smartly boxed Netanyahu into a negoti
36、ating process the Israeli leader would have preferred to avoid, by turning his own argument against him: if, as Netanyahu insists, settlements should be an issue for negotiation rather than a precondition because their fate will depend on future borders, then why not move straight to final-status ne
37、gotiations over those borders? Final-status talks were something Netanyahu had hoped to dodge. Not only does his right-wing coalition government refuse to countenance negotiations over refugees or Jerusalem, but also, the Prime Minister, much of whose political career has been built on resisting the
38、 Oslo peace process, has sought to promote incremental improvements in Palestinian life, particularly the economy, over the search for a final two-state agreement. Obama isnt buying it. According to Israeli accounts of Tuesdays meeting, the U.S. President “scolded“ Netanyahu and Abbas, declaring “We
39、ve had enough talks. We need to end this conflict. There is a window of opportunity, but it might shut.“ And according to these reports, Obama insisted that the negotiations will not be started from scratch but will instead be based on the previous agreements established through the Oslo process. In
40、 other words, Jerusalem and refugees are on the table, and Israel is expected to show up. Obama is still talking tough, then, but having watched him climb down from his settlement-freeze demand and the rebuff from moderate Arab states to the Presidents call for them to make tangible gestures toward
41、normalization of ties with Israel most analysts are waiting to see what actions back his words. Reports from the talks suggest the Administration will summon the two parties to Washington next month for talks under U.S. auspices on the full gamut of final-status issues. But Netanyahu may have his ow
42、n ideas and may be buoyed by his success in resisting the settlement- freeze demand. Indeed, the Israeli Prime Ministers domestic popularity has surged as a result of his defiance of Obama. Abbas, however, who had already been reduced to an increasingly marginal figure by the failure of his negotiat
43、ing efforts over the past decade to win any significant gains for the Palestinians, suffered further political damage by even showing up for the handshake. But even the relatively hawkish Israeli commentator Shmuel Rosner warns that “Israel should restrain itself from declaring victory just yet. Tru
44、e, Obama had to draw down his overeager demands from Israel. But it is also true that Netanyahu, not long ago, had to reverse his opposition to a two-state solution and publicly declare that his goal is similar to the one espoused today by Obama. True, Abbas was dragged to the summit only days after
45、 insisting that he will not come to any meeting unless settlement construction is frozen first. But it is also true that Netanyahu, the head of the right-wing Likud Party, is one of the first Israeli Prime Ministers to agree to some form of settlement freeze.“ 6 According to many commentators, which
46、 of the following is NOT true about Tuesday meeting? （ A） Obama gave in to Netanyahus refusal of the U.S. demand. （ B） Palestinian Authority President refused to meet Netanyahu. （ C） Netanyahu defeated Obama in Tuesday meeting. （ D） Abbas was unwilling to talk to Netanyahu. 7 What was the focus of T
47、uesday meeting? （ A） The construction issue. （ B） The final-status issues. （ C） The status of Jerusalem. （ D） The fate of Palestinian refugees. 8 What was the divergence between Netanyahu and Abbas? （ A） The former did not get Obamas help while the latter did. （ B） They did not reach any agreement o
48、n the construction issue. （ C） They diverged in the place where they were going to hold talks （ D） The former refused to discuss the final-status issues while the latter insiste 9 What cannot be inferred from Obamas UN speech? （ A） Obama accepted Netanyahus position of the settlement issue. （ B） Oba
49、ma did not admit his defeat on Israeli settlement. （ C） Obama tried to redeem his profile in Mideast issues. （ D） Obama was determined in his Mideast-Peace effort. 10 What can be inferred from the passage? （ A） The final-status issues will soon be settled. （ B） Israel is likely to win in Mideast-Peace fight. （ C） It is hard to say who will win in Mideast-Peace fight. （ D） Obama will defeat Netanyahu in Mideast-Peace fight. 专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷 30答案与解析 【知识模块】 阅读 1 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 此题是事实题。由第二段可知，油田的发现是高油价、投资和新技术的结果。 【知识模块】 阅读 2 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 此题是事实题。
