时间:2018-11-29 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2008年(十二月)


英语课
Russia's Gazprom energy monopoly 1 is preparing to cut gas supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv does not repay 2 a $2 billion debt by December 31. But Ukrainians dispute the Russian figure, and say they have enough supplies to last through the cold winter months.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller 3 told Russia's Vesti 24 television the company has created an operations center to begin technical preparations for cutting gas supplies to Ukraine.
 






Sergei Kupriyanov speaks at a news conference in Moscow, 30 Dec 2008



In a colorful turn of phrase, Gazprom spokesman 4 Sergei Kupriyanov told a Moscow news conference Tuesday that Miller was in talks wielding 5 a club in hopes of reaching a last-minute agreement with the Ukrainian side.

Kupriyanov says Gazprom has been seeking alternatives that would offer their Ukrainian colleagues another way of settling the debt, including advance payment by Gazprom to the Ukrainian gas company, Naftogaz of Ukraine, for gas pipeline 6 transit 7 rights through that country.

However, Oleksiy Hudyma, energy advisor 8 to Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, told VOA that Ukraine's current debt is less than $1 billion, because the second billion represents payment for December gas that does not come due until January 25.

He says the recent sharp devaluation of Ukraine's currency, the hryvna, has made it difficult for the country to pay the debt in U.S. dollars, adding that Russia is not so much interested in getting its money, but using energy to play politics.

Hudyma says Moscow is trying to influence Europe by suggesting Ukraine can interrupt its energy supplies and to make Europeans better appreciate the importance of Russia. He says Russia is also seeking control over Ukraine's gas transport system, adding that Gazprom's proposal to settle the Ukrainian debt by allowing the company to pay in advance for transit rights will leave Ukraine with no profit in 2009.
 






Pipes seen in a gas storage and transit point in Boyarka, just outside Kyiv, Ukraine (file photo)




Hudyma and Gazprom both assure consumers in Western Europe that their gas supplies will not be cut, though for slightly different reasons. Gazprom spokesman Kupriyanov says Ukraine is obligated by contract not to reduce European supplies that transit through Ukraine, while energy advisor Hudyma says his country has enough reserves to supply itself and Europe at least through April.

Hudyma says there will be no harmful effects on Europe under any circumstances. If those circumstances become critical and Russia tries to limit supplies in a critical situation, he says Ukraine will get by on reserves that are stored underground.

Russia says it will charge Ukraine a market price of $418 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. But Oleksiy Hudyma says that price is arbitrary, noting that the Czech republic pays only $350, though it is much farther downstream from Russia than Ukraine.

He adds that much of the gas Ukraine receives from Russia is mixed with cheaper supplies from Turkmenistan, for which he claims Russia does not yet have a contract.

Ukrainian and Russian representatives are all expressing hope for a last minute agreement.



1 monopoly
n.垄断,专卖,垄断物(商品),专卖商品
  • His monopoly of shipbuilding in that country has been established.他对那个国家造船业的垄断已经建立起来。
  • In many countries,tobacco is a government monopoly.在许多国家,烟草由政府专营。
2 repay
v.偿还,报答,还钱给
  • I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
  • I must repay her for her kindness.我必须报答她的恩惠。
3 miller
n.磨坊主
  • Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
  • The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。
4 spokesman
n.发言人,代言人
  • The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
  • They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。
5 wielding
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的现在分词 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响)
  • The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
  • He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。
6 pipeline
n.管道,管线
  • The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
  • A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。
7 transit
n.经过,运输;vt.穿越,旋转;vi.越过
  • His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
  • The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。
8 advisor
n.顾问,指导老师,劝告者
  • They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。
学英语单词
afoords
aristoloside
audio technology
auditing around the computer
automatic block installation
b. suprapatellaris
Bangued
Bislama
blast amount meter
blepharomelasma
Bukit Timah
car roof
cascaron
charging dynamo
cluster radioactivity
common trust fund
Coningham
Cotoneaster divaricatus
currejong
customer's ledger
desterilizing gold
diagravitropism
diphenhydramines
double work time
Draba jucunda
echo power
electric cooker range
eolian placer
experimental psychopathology
final registration
flat compounding
floating-point radix
formed height of un-loaded single disc
Futures option
gesto
glucosamine-6-phosphate
healthcare facilities
heavy pumping
henrey
high level job control language
idionodal rhythm
in breeding program
inflammable compressed gases
inserted fraise
instrumentalis
iodoxy-
iridium(iv) hydroxide
jaunting cars
jet method
kentel
leafen
locking frequency
marback
monolithic patch
myxofibrcmata
notaire
notch filter
notch grinder
obliger
oil red
olfactic
oral gangrene
orderly market
Oxon.
palladium(ii) palladium(iv) sulfide
patch reef
periodic discharge
phase of folding
phytophily
picture string character
plant mulching
Point Samson
Police Navidad
potassium metamolybdate
preembargo price
raggery
remontant
reticulate duct
rotation perception
runaway star
salmon peel
second brief
set-up-scale meter
shahanshahs
sheared diagram
sinocythere yowdyi
some such
sownder
spacecraft material
spring conjunctivitis
steel heald
suck lemons
table roll
tapping voltage
tartre
tone signal
ungrandiloquent
unrelevant
win eminence
wish sb success
Zenadrex