2017年12月英语四级听力VOA慢速英语原文（二十八）

　　Small Crowds at Texas Oil Technology Conference

　　德州石油技术会议参会人数减少

　　Low oil prices have reduced oil exploration and development activity around the world.

　　低油低迷影了全球油气勘探活动和石油产业的发展活力。

　　Tens of thousands of workers have lost jobs with oil companies and in the oil service industry in recent months.

　　石油公司和支持油气勘探生产的服务产业在近几个月裁掉了数万人。

　　So it was no surprise that attendance was down at the recent Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas.

　　因此德克萨斯休斯顿海洋石油技术展会参会人数锐减也在意料之中。

　　The conference has been a meeting place for oil and gas industry representatives for the past 47 years. In other years, large crowds attended the event.

　　在过去的47年中，石油和天然气行业代表聚集于此召开会议。那些年参会人数规模庞大。

　　A number of oil services companies were represented at the conference this month. That is because these businesses know that oil prices will one day rise and their services will be needed.

　　这个月许多服务公司参展。那是因为这些企业知道有一天石油价格会涨，那时就会有人需要他们的服务。

　　Milo Lu works for the Chinese company HuangHua Group. He told VOA that low prices have reduced oil exploration activity almost everywhere.

　　宏华集团的麦洛・卢(Milo Lu)告诉voa，油价低迷使得几乎全球各地的石油勘探活动减少。

　　“The only area that we still have something going on is probably (the) Middle East -- everywhere else its pretty dead.”

　　“目前公司还有业务的只有中东地区，其余地方基本没有生气。”

　　But he said it was important for his company to attend the conference this year.

　　但她说参加该月的会议对其公司具有重要意义。

　　“You just have to show your face. You still gotta let people know that you're still here.”

　　“你需要露脸，让人们知道你还在坚持。”

　　Service companies attending the conference offered things like large ships, exploration platforms and small devices that measure oil flow through pipes.

　　出席会议的服务公司展示了像大型油船，开采平台和测量石油流经管道的小型设备等。

　　Richard Nott works for Lloyd’s Register Energy, which has offices in London. He admits many companies have stopped looking for oil. But he says they will someday need his company’s help.

　　总部在伦敦的劳埃德注册能源公司(Lloyd’s Register Energy)的理查德・诺特说，他承认许多企业已停止勘探石油的项目，但是他说那些关停的项目最终将需要他们公司的帮助。

　　“Many of these projects that have been cancelled or deferred, they've not gone away. They have gone away for a rethink as to how we can do this more cheaply, how we can maybe do it quicker, and how we can maybe do it more effectively.”

　　“许多项目暂停或延期，当并没有完全停止。我们停下来重新思考如何降低成本，如何提高速度，如何提高效率。”

　　Steve Kosch represented 3M Corporation at the Offshore Technology Conference. He demonstrated a safety system that helps workers escape from tall structures in a fire or building collapse.

　　在3M公司的展位，史蒂夫・科施正在演示一款为在高耸的油井塔上作业的人员设计的安全背带和逃生系统。

　　“You still have employees working for you. They're gonna be out there working atheights. And so you have to protect those workers. Obviously, we're trying to find solutions for the employers, to try to find low-cost solutions to their, their needs.”

　　科施说：“你仍然还有在高空作业的员工。所以你要保护他们。我们尝试为雇主找到成本低廉但又满足他们需求的解决方案。”

　　In recent weeks, world oil prices have stopped their sharp drop. But most people at the conference said they are preparing for low prices through next year and beyond.

　　虽然油价最近有所回升，但是大多数参加展会的人都说，他们做好了市场低迷持续到明年乃至更久的准备。

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