D
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 Kheria of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota 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 Iraq’s output stop was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized（使……动摇）, a suitable response could be made.
Iraq on Monday stopped 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. Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude oil selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.
OPEC wants 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（配额）.
12. Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ___________.
A. oil price is too low in international market.
B. The U.N. Secretary Council has decided to shorten the time of extension of 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
13. The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ________.
A. active B. concerned
C. cold D. surprised
14. The underlined words“The organization”here refers to ________.
A. OPEC B. the E.U. Commission
C. Vienna D. WTO
15. The main idea of the passage is ________.
A. the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq has stopped oil deliveries
B. OPEC has controlled the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars
C. OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that caused by Iraq
D. Oil is connected with people’s daily life
16. 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 talk with the U.N. Security Council
C. they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary output stop
D. they can make up their minds to increase oil production
E
The best advice young men and women can hear these days is not “Get Rich”. It’s “Go West”.
Those who hope to make their fortunes or, at the very least, find good jobs or life long careers have a better chance of doing so in China’s western provinces than in the increasingly crowded eastern cities. Along the eastern coast, cities are filled with newcomers looking for work. They seek anything from the lowest-level unskilled jobs to the instant-millionaire Internet chance of lifetime. Few have found the latter, and few ever will.
Some 160 years ago, young men and women streamed into New York, Philadelphia, Boston——the United States’ equivalent of China’s Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing. All of these young people were searching for work, for riches; for fame. Few found any of that. The rest joined the masses working hard at low-level jobs trying to support themselves and their families.
Horace Greeley, a well-known American newspaper editor of the period had sound advice for those seeking work. “Do not,” Greeley said, “lounge （to stand or sit in a lazy manner） in the cities! There is room and health in the country, away from the crowds of idles （people who waste time doing nothing） and imbeciles （a person of weak mind）. Go West …”
In the mid-19th century, when Greeley issued his call to go west, America was about to develop its western regions——much as China is today. Out west, the unemployed could find jobs.
What was needed then in the America West is what is needed now in China’s western regions; men and women with determination to make something of themselves, men and women with skills in any developing nation must have to survive and prosper.
It has nothing to do with the Internet. It has nothing to do with becoming a movie star, pop music idol, or a Bill Gates clone. It has everything to do with reality.
17. Why does the author think“Go West” is the best advice for young people in China?
A. If they go west, they are sure to get rich.
B. China’s west is richer than its east.
C. Eastern cities are too crowded to live in.
D. There are more chances of success there than in the east.
18. The author mentions young America of the 19th century because
A. he wants young Chinese to learn from them
B. he tries to show how they succeeded in the eastern cities
C. they were poor examples for today’s young Chinese to follow
D. most of them preferred to work in the west
19. The underlined word “sound” in the 4th paragraph means
A. what may be heard
B. seem when heard
C. produce a sound
D. based on truth or good judgment
20. What is needed in China’s west now according to the writer?
A. The Internet. B. Movie stars.
C. People with skills. D. Pop music idols.
Keys：
1-4 CBDA 5-8 ACBB 9-11 CCA 12-16 BBACC 17-20 DADC