必克VOA新闻：能源价格是乌克兰危机的重要原因

Energy Prices are Big Part of Ukraine Crisis

Russia's decision to intervene in Ukraine has caused a diplomatic and military crisis. But it has also sparked an economic and energy crisis, as Russia sharply increased the price of natural gas it exports to the country and Ukraine's interim leaders have been scrambling to find new and cheaper sources.

Ukraine runs on natural gas, and its energy-inefficient homes and factories use a lot of it.

The gas comes from Russia, until recently at a bargain price.

But that changed when Ukrainians ousted their pro-Russian president in February. Russia raised the price by 40 percent.

Ukraine's new leaders have a dilemma, says energy market expert Pierre Noel of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"They now face the very difficult choice, perhaps the impossible choice, of having to choose between cheap gas and political submission to Russia, or expensive gas as the price to pay for their political independence," he said.

But Noel says Ukraine had been extracting a steep discount from Russia for decades because it is home to the only gas pipeline to Russia's huge market in Western Europe, and that was going to end anyway.

Russia and its customers have been working for years to build two new pipelines that will soon bypass Ukraine, eliminating the country's leverage and putting Russia in a position to charge Ukraine a premium.

That is bad news for consumers and business owners, like Kyiv restaurateur Yuri Gelfat.

"The price of gas will impact all of us," he said. "It affects heating, hot water. Higher utility payments will mean we have to increase our prices."

That may be one of the costs of energy independence.

At his nearby clothing store, Ruslan Pavlyuk takes a broader view, calling for increased efficiency and conservation, plus one other thing.

"Ukrainians have to stop crying, tighten our belts and understand that we have more fighting to do for our future," he said.

Much of the belt tightening will fall on energy-wasteful Ukrainian factories and their workers, largely in the east of the country, where pro-Russian sentiment is the strongest.

Pierre Noel says that will make it difficult for Ukraine to forge a national consensus to make the kind of painful reforms that central European countries have made.

"Ukraine is fundamentally split along political and economic lines between a part of the country that may be able and willing to go through that, and a part of the country that simply has no interest, no willingness, and simply will not do it," Noel said.

Noel says a political deal that enables the east to remain economically tied to Russia could ease the problem, and give Russia the foothold in Ukraine it appears to want, without further compromising Ukraine's sovereignty.

 

词汇解析

bargain

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

n.交易；便宜货；契约

v.讨价还价；议价；(谈价钱后)卖

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

If you promote our goods, we will give you a good discount as our part of the bargain.

若你方经销我们的货物，我方愿给予你相当大的优惠作为回报。

用作动词 (v.)

The leaders bargained away the freedom of their people.

领导人拿人民的自由来做交易。

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steep

难度：4星核心词汇，属常用3000词

英汉解释

adj.险峻的；陡峭的；（价格）过高的

v.浸泡，浸透，湿透；沉浸，笼罩

参考例句

用作形容词 (adj.)

This hill is too steep to ride up on a bicycle.

这山太陡了，骑自行车可上不去。

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discount

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

n.折扣；贴现率

vt.打折扣；贴现；不全信；不重视

vi.贴现；减息贷款

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

The preferred project in this case depends on the discount rate, not the IRR.

该例中，我们倾向选择哪个项目取决于贴现率，而不是内部收益率。

用作及物动词 (vt.)

We usually only discount acceptance trade and commercial bills.

我们通常只贴现已承兑的商业票据。

用作不及物动词 (vi.)

But you must discount only the dividends paid on existing shares.

不过你必须仅贴现支付给现有股东的股利。

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pipeline

难度：2星扩展词汇，属常用10000词

英汉解释

n.管道；管线；渠道

v.用管道运输

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

Analysts have remained positive on the stock owing to the potential of the pipeline and said the share price fall due to the Avandia scare will prove to be excessive.

基于可能的渠道，分析家对其股票仍持正面评价，并称股票价值下跌原因是对文迪雅事件的过度恐惧。

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utility

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

n.效用；实用；公用事业（费）；[计]应用程序

adj.多效用的；多功能的

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

I have always doubted the utility of these conferences on disarmament.

我一直怀疑这些裁军会议的效用。

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efficiency

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

n.效率；功率

参考例句

用作名词 (n.)

We must improve our efficiency as soon as possible.

我们必须尽快地提高工作效率。

Various PA linearization techniques have been adopted to improve linearity and power efficiency of wireless transmitters.

于是多种不同功率放大器的线性化技术被采用来改善无线发射机的线性度及效率。

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largely

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

adv.大部分；主要地

参考例句

用作副词 (adv.)

The farming area is centered largely in the south.

农业区大部分集中在南方。

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painful

难度：3星常用词汇，属常用6000词

英汉解释

adj.痛苦的；疼痛的；费力的

参考例句

用作形容词 (adj.)

It was painful for him to renounce his son.

宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

 

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