资料:FAST cars whizz around,malls are full of expensive luxuries and cranes dominate the skyline.But scratch the shimmering surface of the Gulf and you soon find countries hurting from the low oil price,currently around $40 a barrel.Growth is slowing and unemployment is rising.Policy makers even dare utter a three-letter“t” word until recently taboo:tax.
Oil is central to the six Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states,which have used the windfall of the past few years to spend lavishly.Unlike many oil exporters,such as Nigeria and Venezuela,they have high foreign-exchange reserves and low debts to cover short-term gaps.But public spending is generous and the private sector is heavily reliant on oil to boot.To be sustainable in an era of lower prices.the rulers must change the structure of their economies.
The IMF reckons the lower oil price knocked $340 billion off Arab oil-exporting states’ government revenues in 2015.This year is looking worse.Moody’s,a ratings agency,this month downgraded Bahrain and Oman and put on watch the other four GCC states: Saudi Arabia,Kuwait,the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.“It’s the end of an era for the Gulf,”says Razan Nasser of HSBC in Dubai.“And we’re only just starting to see the effects.”
Oil receipts typically account for more than 80% of GCC government revenues,rising to over90% of Saudi Arabia’s budget before the crisis.Dubai,one of the emirates making up the UAE,is an exception,with oil accounting for only 5% of revenues.That is because it has successfully diversified tourism and services account for most of its government revenues.
Governments are reacting to the squeeze on their incomes with a mixture of strategies,drawing down reserves and taking on debt on the one hand,and imposing spending cuts on the other.Last year they made tweaks,such as curbing benefits for public servants.This year will be tougher.Oman has told all state-owned enterprises to remove perks such as cars.Qatari companies including Al Jazeera and the Qatar Foundation,a cultural organization,have laid off employees.With such tweaks, Kuwait,the UAE and Qatar,which have small populations and high foreign exchange reserves,can get by for a decade.
What can be inferred from the context?
本题考查的是推理判断。
【关键词】inferred;context
【主题句】
第3自然段The IMF reckons the lower oil price knocked $340 billion off Arab oil-exporting states’ government revenues in 2015.This year is looking worse.Moody’s,a ratings agency,this month downgraded Bahrain and Oman and put on watch the other four GCC states: Saudi Arabia,Kuwait,the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.“It’s the end of an era for the Gulf,”says Razan Nasser of HSBC in Dubai.“And we’re only just starting to see the effects.”国际货币基金组织估计,由于低油价,2015年阿拉伯石油出口国政府收入减少了3400亿美元。今年看起来情况更糟。评级机构穆迪本月降低了巴林和阿曼的评级,并关注其他四个海湾合作委员会国家——沙特阿拉伯、科威特、阿拉伯联合酋长国(阿联酋)和卡塔尔。“这是海湾时代的结束,”汇丰银行驻迪拜的拉赞纳赛尔表示,“我们才开始看到这种影响。”
【解析】本题的问题是“根据上下文,可以推断出什么?”A选项“其他海湾合作委员会国家将以迪拜的方式开始经济改革”;B选项“海湾合作委员会国家政府财政状况可能仍然面临低迷前景”;C选项“油价在可预见的未来几乎不会上涨”;D选项“石油收入占卡塔尔政府收入的85%”。根据主题句,作者提及迪拜发展旅游和服务业方式,但是并未提及海湾合作委员会国家将进行类似经济改革,故A选项错误;由于低油价,海湾合作委员会国家收入锐减,今年情况堪忧,被降低评级等,都说明未来经济前景依然低迷,故B选项正确;目前石油价格锐减,情况不容乐观,但是并不能推断是否可能有一定的上涨,故C选项错误;文章虽然给出了几组数据,但是并未提及卡塔尔石油收入情况,故D选项错误,故选B。
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