How High Will the Price of Oil Go This Time?

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。

Unrest in North Africa and the Middle East has pushed oil prices back into the news. Prices have been rising at their fastest level since two thousand eight.

北非和中东的动乱使石油价格再次成为新闻热点。石油价格正以2008年以来最快的速度不断上涨。

Libya is not among the ten largest oil exporters. But the rebellion against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has reduced production, affecting the global market.

利比亚并不属于十大石油出口国。但反对利比亚领导人卡扎菲的动乱导致石油减产，进而影响到全球市场。

This month, oil prices rose above one hundred dollars a barrel. Prices went above one hundred forty-five dollars a barrel in two thousand eight.

这个月，石油价格涨到了超过100美元一桶。2008年，石油价格曾一度涨到超过145美元一桶。

The price of oil affects prices and demand for energy, plastics, farm chemicals and many other products made with petroleum 1.

石油价格影响到了能源、塑料、农药和其它许多石油产品的价格和需求。

During the last week of February, Americans paid the second biggest weekly increase in gasoline prices in twenty years. This young woman has to drive a long way to school, so high gas prices mean less money for other things.

2月份的最后一周中，美国人迎来了20年以来第2大汽油价格一周涨幅。这位年轻女士必须开车很远去上学，所以高油价对她意味着减少其他支出。

WOMAN: "I am a college student and I have to drive forty-five minutes to college, so it sucks."

女士：“我是一名大学生，每天得开45分钟的车去上学，这（指石油价格上涨）糟透了。”

The United States has a Strategic Petroleum Reserve that contains more than seven hundred million barrels of oil. President Obama could use some of this emergency supply to help ease fuel prices. But intervening in the market could hurt oil production in the United States.

美国战略石油储备量超过7亿桶。奥巴马可以使用这些紧急储备来缓解燃油价格。但干预市场可能会损害美国石油生产。

Oil prices have been rising at a bad time, just as many economies have been recovering from the global recession. Also, several countries in the euro area are still struggling with debt crises.

石油价格涨得不是时候，许多经济体正从全球衰退中复苏。此外，欧元区的几个国家也仍在债务危机中挣扎。

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said last week that "strong vigilance" is needed to contain inflation. That could mean raising interest rates which could hurt European countries heavily in debt.

欧洲央行行长让-克劳德·特里谢(Jean-Claude Trichet)上周表示，遏制通货膨胀需要“高度警惕”。这可能意味着加息，而加息会可能会损害深陷债务泥潭的欧洲国家。

In the United States, higher fuel prices come just as General Motors and Chrysler show signs of recovery after their reorganizations.

在美国，通用汽车和克莱斯勒汽车在重组后刚展现出复苏迹象，石油价格上涨就紧随而来。

American car sales last month were twenty-seven percent higher than last February. GM led all carmakers with a forty-seven percent increase.

上月美国汽车销量比去年同期上涨了27%。通用以47%的增幅在汽车制造商中独占鳌头。

High fuel prices reduce demand for big cars and trucks. But economist 2 George Magliano says this time, high prices may be good for carmakers.

高油价降低了大轿车和卡车的需求。但经济学家乔治·马利亚诺（George Magliano）表示，这一次，高油价可能对汽车制造商有利。

GEORGE MAGLIANO: "With gasoline prices higher, certain people might want to get a much more fuel-efficient vehicle and I don't mean even a hybrid 3 or an electric vehicle which they could do, but the gasoline vehicles get twenty-five, thirty percent better mileage 4 today than they did three or four years ago."

乔治马利亚诺：“随着汽油价格上涨，一些人可能希望购买一辆更省油的汽车。我不是说他们需要购买混合动力汽车或电动汽车，汽油车每消耗1加仑汽油行驶的里程比3、4年前提高了25%到30%。”