Lord Browne, chief executive of BP, yesterday said oil prices were likely to stay high in the short term as political uncertainty outweighs the fact that there is no shortage of oil.
英国石油(BP) 首席执行官布朗勋爵(Lord Browne)昨日表示，短期内油价可能仍将维持高位，因为政治方面的不确定因素，盖过了石油并不短缺这一事实。
Speaking as the oil major unveiled first quarter results, Lord Browne said the uncertainty could soon cause UK petrol prices to exceed £1 ($1.78) a litre. The average cost of a litre of unleaded petrol in the UK rose recently to 95½p.
在英国石油发布第一季度业绩之际，布朗勋爵表示，这些不确定因素可能很快导致英国汽油价格突破每升1英镑(合1.78美元)。最近，英国无铅汽油平均价格涨至每升95.5便士。
The oil price has risen sharply in recent weeks and was yesterday trading at just above $72 a barrel. Lord Browne said the price spike was not caused by a lack of supply, as inventories of oil were actually rising.
最近几周油价大幅攀升，昨日交易价格为每桶略高于72美元。布朗勋爵表示，油价冲高并非由于供应不足，因为石油库存量实际上在上升。
注释：
unveil vt.揭开
unleaded adj.无铅的
spike n.峰值
inventory n.存货总值
