BEC中级阅读：全球主要石油进口国担心油价拖累经济

包括美国、日本和欧盟在内，全球主要的石油进口国将于周五在达沃斯开会。目前，人们日益担心创纪录的油价将削弱全球经济前景。

Leading oil importing economies, including the US, Japan and the European Union, will meet tomorrow in Davos amid mounting worries that record oil prices are worsening the global economic outlook.

此次不同寻常的会议的召开，时逢下周石油输出国组织（OPEC，简称欧佩克）的维也纳会议之前，而国际油价在本月初突破每桶100美元大关，创历史新高。 The exceptional gathering comes ahead of an Opec meeting next week in Vienna and after oil prices reached an all-time high of more than $100 a barrel early this month.

“所有人都在关心当前油价的影响，”一位官员表示。“全球主要大国的政府都很担心市场状况。”

“Everyone is concerned about the impact of current oil prices,” an official said. “The key governments are worried about the market situation.”

美国能源部长萨姆?博德曼(Sam Bodman)昨日警告，油价不仅推高了美国的通胀，也已开始拖累美国的经济增长。

Sam Bodman, the US energy secretary, yesterday warned that as well as pushing inflation higher, oil prices were starting to damp US economic growth.

博德曼在开罗的一个论坛上表示：“一直以来，美国经济承受住了油价的大幅上涨，但随着（油价达到每桶）100美元，它开始对我们的经济活动水平产生影响。”

“Our economy has been able to withstand the big run-up in prices but with [oil prices at] $100 [a barrel] it’s starting to have an impact on the level of our economic activity,” Mr Bodman told a forum in Cairo.

油价也牵制了欧洲的降息行动，英国央行(BoE)和欧洲央行(ECB)依然担心通胀高企。

Oil prices are also hindering interest rates cuts in Europe where the Bank of England and European Central Bank remain worried about high inflation.

雪佛龙(Chevron)首席执行官大卫?奥雷里(David O’Reilly)昨日在达沃斯表示，他希望自己离开这个瑞士度假胜地的时候，能够带着公共和私营部门的“一些承诺和一些行动计划”，以帮助解决全球能源问题。

David O’Reilly, chief executive of Chevron, yesterday said in Davos that he hoped to leave the Swiss resort with “some commitments and some action items” from both the public and private sectors to help resolve the world’s energy problems.

三周之前，国际原油价格一度达到每桶100.09美元。但随后一路下滑，昨日跌至每桶87.50美元，因为交易员们预计经济增长减缓将降低能源需求。

Crude oil prices three weeks ago hit a high of $100.09 a barrel but have since fallen back, reaching $87.50 a barrel yesterday as traders anticipate that slower economic growth will reduce energy demand.

不过，当前的油价依然比一年前高出大约50%。

Crude oil prices are, however, still about 50 per cent higher than a year ago.

欧佩克至今一直拒绝增产，包括委内瑞拉和阿尔及利亚在内的一些成员国还暗示，如果美国经济形势恶化，它们可能在3月份的欧佩克会议上支持减产。

Opec has so far rejected calls for increased output and some member countries, such as Venezuela and Algeria, have raised the possibility of a production cut at the cartel’s March meeting if economic activity worsens in the US.