Oil and gas prices will increase in the future.

A.unique

B. uniform

C. unify

D. unit

t rates. An unusually mild winter across much of the country is part of the story, but the lack of worry by consumers and business about oil prices is an even bigger part. The question remains, will we continue to glide down the economic highway or slip on oil？

Oil prices have raised overall consumer prices and cut into household purchasing power. So far the higher costs haven't deterred(阻止) buying, even buying of cars and other energy-sensitive items. The major reason for the lack of reaction is that oil is less important to the economy than it once was. Oil, which produced 45% of world energy in 1971, accounted for only 35% in 2003, with increases in nuclear and natural gas use making up the difference.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler suffered as buyers shifted to more fuel-efficient vehicles from Toyota and Honda, but the shift was hot pronounced. Admittedly, light truck sales are holding up in part because manufacturers are offering large discounts to "move the metal", but the fact that buyers are responding to those incentives shows they aren't too scared of gas prices.

Americans continue to spend more than they earn, but gasoline prices will have an effect. Although the April chain store results suggest gasoline prices aren't hurting much yet, eventually Americans will be forced to realize that they have to slow down. We expect the economy to slow in the second half of the year as the impact of higher oil prices sinks in. How much the economy slows will depend on how high oil prices remain. We expect some drop in oil prices by yearend, but I have been saying that for so long even I am starting not to believe it.

The anger against the oil companies is clearly misplaced. Exxon and friends control only a small share of world oil reserves. Most are now in the hands of state-owned oil companies. The recent move by Bolivia to nationalize its industry is only the latest in a long line of similar actions. The history of these enterprises is one of severe underinvestment and mismanagement, which tends to reduce supply and keep prices high. The risk on oil prices is primarily on the high side of our forecast.

Although I think oil prices will drop back in the medium term, to address my serious worries, I'm buying my wife a bike for Mothers' Day.

The economy at the beginning of 2006 is not affected by the high oil price mainly because ______.

A．the warm winter requires less oil to run the heaters

B．the warm winter promotes consumption, across the country

C．people believe that the oil price will drop in near future

D．people don't think the high price will make much of a difference

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy, but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil prices and growth has weakened？

Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets when they’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on other things, which stimulates the economy.

The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China, Japan, and India, But doesn’t the extra money in the pockets of those countries’ consumers mean an equal loss in oil producing countries, cancelling out the gains？ Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara Johnson. “Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were high, so when prices fall they will draw on their reserves to support government spending and subsidies(补贴) for their consumers.”

But not all oil producers have big reserves, In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.

Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming the positive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plunged partly because oil-producing nations can’t afford to import as much as they used to.

Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the price drop account for a larger share of the global economy.

Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number of oil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.

What does the author mainly discuss in the passage？

A.The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.

B.Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.

C.The impact of cheap oil on global economic growth.

D.The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.

ourth the greenhouse gases. They take a similar oil of resources in other industrial nations and in the cities of the developing world. As vehicle use continues to increase in the coming decade, the US and other countries will have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic, health-related and political costs. It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing US contribution to global climatic change.

Policymakers and industry have four options: reduce vehicle use, increase the efficiency and reduce the emissions of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, switch to less harmful fuels, or find less polluting driving systems. The last of these -- in particular the introduction of vehicles powered by electricity -- is ultimately the only sustainable option. The other alternatives are attractive in theory but in practice are either impractical or offer only marginal improvements. For example, reduced vehicle use could solve traffic problems and a host of social and environmental problems, but evidence from around the world suggests that it is very difficult to make people give up their cars to any significant extent. In the US, mass transit ridership and carpooling have declined since World War Ⅱ. Even in western Europe, with fuel prices averaging more than $1 a liter (about $ 4 a gallon) and with easily accessible mass transit and dense populations, cars still account for 80 percent of all passenger travel.

Improved energy efficiency is also appealing, but automotive fuel economy has barely made any progress in 10 years. Alternative fuels such as natural gas, burned in internal-combustion engines, could be introduced at relatively low cost, but they would lead to only marginal reductions in pollution and greenhouse emissions (especially because oil companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less polluting types of gasoline).

From the passage we know that the increased use of cars will ______.

A．consume half of the oil produced in the world

B．have serious consequences for the well-being of all nations

C．widen the gap between the developed and developing countries

D．impose an intolerable economic burden on residents of large cities

Gas prices are(high)______here than in other parts of the country．

A.pistachio

B.saffron

C.oil

D.gas

rices quadrupled, and 1979-1980, when they also almost tripled.

A．It’s not the case that oil prices will drop, and it’s not the case that

B．Venezuela will increase its production．

C．If Venezuela increases its production, then oil prices will drop．

D．Only if Venezuela increases its production will oil prices drop．

E．Either Venezuela will not increase its production, or oil prices will not drop．

F．If Venezuela does not increase production, then oil prices will drop．

Wood, coal, oil and gas are different kinds of ______.

A. chemical B. food C. object D. fuel

A.the law of elastic supply

B.the law of elastic demand

C.consumers will bid up the price of oil

D.all of the above

E.none of the above