Vienna — In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries, the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will not increase production to make up the shortfall, ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna.
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization’s president, Charkid Khelil of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota (配额) increases were not necessary.
The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price.
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap, he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of the Iraq stop to export was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized(动摇), a suitable response could be made.
Iraq on Monday stop shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal(延期).
Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.
OPEC wanted the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas.
1. Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ________.
A. oil price is too low in the international market
B. the U.N. Security Council has decided to shorten the time for the oil-for-food programme
C. many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s
D. it couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy
2. The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is _______.
A. active B. concerned C. could D. surprising
3. “The organization” in Paragraph 2 refers to _______.
A. OPEC B. the E.U. Commission C. APEC D. WTO
4. The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that _______.
A. they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production
B. they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary oil stop
C. they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council
D. they can make up their minds to increase oil productions
(1—5 BBABB)
【答案与解析】本文报道了OPEC十一国石油组织在维也纳召开会议决定：在Iraq停止石油出口的情况下，也不增加石油的生产量。
1. B。细节题。根据文章第5段中的 to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal可推知此题答案为B。
2. B。细节题。根据文章第3段第1句The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop可推知此题答案为B。
3. A。细节题。根据文章第1段第1句…the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)和文章第2段可推知此题答案为B。
4. B。细节题。根据文章第2段第1句…to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop可推知此题答案为B。
