时间:2019-01-09 作者:英语课 分类:2006年VOA标准英语(七月)


英语课

By Efam Dovi
Accra, Ghana
27 July 2006


A recent boost in gas prices across Ghana is generating unprecedented 1 criticism from members of the ruling New Patriotic 2 Party, with some fearing that the party could lose the next general elections as a result.


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Last week's 10 to 22 percent price boost on petroleum 3 products is the third increase this year, raising premium 4 gas prices to an all time high of close to $5 per gallon, about three times higher than the minimum wage of many Ghanaians.
 
Previous price reviews by the state owned regulatory body, the National Petroleum Authority, attracted strong criticism and street protests by members of parliament, who have consistently urged the government to remove taxes on petroleum products.
 
But this time round, it is the members of the ruling New Patriotic Party, or NPP, who are calling on their government to ease the burden of the price increase.
 


 



Paul Appiah-Ofori, NPP Member of Parliament   
  


Member of parliament Paul Appiah-Ofori blames corruption 6 for the recent gas price debacle. He calls for an immediate 7 investigation 8 into the operations of the country's bulk oil supplier, Tema Oil Refinery 9.
 
"What I expect to be done at the Tema Oil refinery is for the government to set up a committee to go into the operations of the company to identify and eliminate the abnormal one," he said.  "Because the abnormal cost results from inefficiencies, it results from corrupt 5 practices, embezzlement 10 of funds, misappropriation, all sorts of improprieties constitute cost and they are pass on to the consumers through total cost absorption."
 
Appiah-Ofori says higher prices are causing hardship and urges the government to adopt prudent 11 management of the economy to generate revenue from other sources.
 
"Unless we plug loopholes, unless we prevent corruption, unless you prevent avoidable cost, I assure you that this country will fail, no government can save this country where corrupt practices move from strength to strength. It is most unfortunate," he said.
 
Previous appeals to President John Kufuor's government to reduce taxes on gas prices have been ignored. The government maintains that domestic prices are being pushed up because of price pressures from the global market.
 
Appiah-Ofori says he would consider using the courts to get the government to listen.
 
"Yes, if it goes on like this, maybe I will be compelled to go to court in order to compel the president to listen, because you see, Article 1, Clause (1) of our Constitution states that the sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana, in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised," he said.
 
According to some analysts 12., more than 40 percent of the price of gas in Ghana is contributed to tax.



adj.无前例的,新奇的
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的
  • His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
  • The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。
n.原油,石油
  • The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
  • The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
n.加付款;赠品;adj.高级的;售价高的
  • You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
  • Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后,清水便因稀而贵了。
v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的
  • The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
  • This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。
n.腐败,堕落,贪污
  • The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
  • The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
n.调查,调查研究
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
n.精炼厂,提炼厂
  • They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
  • The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
n.盗用,贪污
  • He was accused of graft and embezzlement and was chained and thrown into prison.他因被指控贪污盗窃而锒铛入狱。
  • The judge sent him to prison for embezzlement of funds.法官因他盗用公款将其送入监牢。
adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的
  • A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
  • You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
  • 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。
学英语单词
a slap in the face
adhesion factor
aditus ad aquaeductum cerebri
air sinker
aromatics
artificial
atmospheric retrieval
attractant sex pheromone
audit of prepaid and deferred expenses
bituminous clay
brick veneers
brilliance modulator
brinjaul
briquetted
brush sickle
bung end
carbechal
cenobitism
changing pattern
colllodion elastique
complex salts
cotemporalities
coupling with polygonal rubber element
crusing engine
Dahui
date of value
dicranopteris warburgii nakai
dipolar complexes
direct product of convex sets
direct supervisor
down-hole drill
Dunlap, William
electric cutting machine
encodable
European recovery program
fallacious deferred charge
gadres
geshrei
gradient material
Krasnoslobodsk
local feed back
Low-Budget Operation
lymphangivarix
malouma
mericarp
micrococcus liquefaciens conjunctivae
mictohaplontic
occidentine
one-child-per-couple
overwashplain
oxygen-hydrogen recombiner
pacific-type coast
Pacta dant legem contractui.
pantheonised
period of hull insurance
phanerochaete aculeata
polston
polydactylism
prehypophysia
Priural'skoye
pro-celeb
prodelphinidins
pyriform sinuses
rauschning
reduced crude
reserve forest
resinas
rhamnus
right to social security
Sabouraud's Freneh mannite agar
saturation moisture capacity
schathles
schminkes
scopolamine hydrobromide
sector-scanning sonar
sensitivity for analysis
Shaoyin syndrome
slitting mechainsm
sluicelike
spoelstra
square screen
statistical matrix
Stenocarpus sinuatus
still water
stood the gaff
surveying party
sweep the dust under the carpet
syloids
tetanic cataract
Tylose
ultrasonic propagation
uncrossable
unfinished book
uniaxial strss
upstream shipping
usea sulfazide
valued member
want in
well-defined peak
wholesale dealing
witcheties
zaches