雅思聽力口語(CNN)聽抄訓練 - 美国高油价的原因

It's Thursday. I'm Carl AZuz.This is CNNStudent News.

大家好，今天是週三，我是I'm Carl AZuz。這裡是CNN學生新聞。

We're jumping right in today with amilestone you might have noticed but a lot of folks aren't happy about.

我們首先關注的這則消息，大家可能已經注意到了這個現象，但是這個消息不是我們喜聞樂見的。

In the United Sates, the average cost of agallon of gasoline has been at least 3 dollars for 1000 days in a row.

在美國，平均一加侖的汽油的價格已經連續3年都在三美元以上。

Some folks might be used to it but you alsomight remember when gas price were lower.

可能部分人已經習慣了這個價格，但是大家應該還記得曾經的價格更低些。

Christine Romans looks at some of thedriving forces behind increase.

Christine Romans為我們分析下推動價格上漲的因素。

The last time the average price of a gallongas under 3 dollars a gallon was in December 2010.

在2010年12月以前，每加侖的汽油的價格都是在3美元以下。

The trend has been higher for a decade now.

其實在過去的十幾年裡價格一直都是高居不下。

But look at this, right here in December2010. It was the last time you saw it below.

但是，注意到，只有在2010年的12月份的時候石油的價格是在3美元以下。

And here, while you have super low priceshere but that was because of global financial crisis. So, why is that so high?A few reasons here.

除了那次因為全球經濟危機短暫的低價以外，為什麼油價的價格一直都這麼高？我們列出了幾個原因。

First, global instability.

首先，全球的不穩定性。

No surprise, the Arab Spring began inDecember 2010. About the same time, this oil run started. Syria concerns, morerecently have kept oil prices high.

無獨有偶，阿拉伯之春開始於2010年12月。在同一個時間，汽油價格上漲的趨勢就開始了。最近的價格上漲更多的是因為敘利亞問題引起。

The world wants more oil and we're stillrising demand for gas in developing world, places like China and India.

世界需要更多的石油，而且在發展中國家，比如中國和印度，石油的需求量還在持續變大。

We're not seeing the cheap supplies thatwe're used to, right? We're getting fuel from fracking and deep water platformsand that is expensive and tightening supply and demand is something likeinvestors are watching. It keeps the prices rising when you see this, thisfundamental shifts, investors demanding here that investor demand also drivingup the price of crude oil.

我們現在是再也用不到向原來那樣便宜的石油了。我們使用的石油是從深水平臺裡獲得，這項花費很大也使得石油供應變得緊張起來。緊張的供需關係是投資者們極為關注的。當供需關係出現緊張的時候，這個基本關係改變的時候，投資者們的需求量也在促使原油價格上漲。

So, is this the new normal? Well, we askTom Clozes, a chief oil analyst for gas but he says this is where we are now.

所以我們現在的新情況是正常現象麼？好的，我們諮詢過首席石油分析師——TomClozes如何看待這個問題，他的答案是我們正處在這個特殊時期。

By the end of the new year, by the end ofthe year and the new year, you could see maybe 3 bucks a gallon.

到今年年底或明年年底的時候，石油價格很可能會變成3美元一加侖。

Of course, all that depends on Syria andwhether conflict can be peacefully resolved there.

當然，這個得取決於敘利亞，取決於那裡的衝突能完美解決。

It also depends on the Fed.

石油價格還取決於美聯儲。

If the Fed should begin to taper back itsbond purchases, that could mean demand for commodities would go down, demandfor things like oil, investor demand oil and that could mean lower gas pricesahead.

如果美聯儲開始逐漸減少購買的債券，那麼日用品的需求量就會變小，像石油這一類的需求量就會變大，這樣就可能會最終導致石油的價格降低。

So, watch those 2 things: Syria and theFed. That could matter how much you're paying for a gallon of gas.

所以，我們需要關注兩件事——敘利亞和美聯儲。因為這關係著每加侖石油多少錢。

You heard Christine says the Fed.

Christine在談論美聯儲。

She's talking about the US federal reserve,the country's central bank.

她在談論美聯儲——國家中央銀行。

It's responsible for implementing monetarypolicies.

它負責制定貨幣政策。

Basically, the Fed controls the country'smoney supply.

從根本上說，美聯儲控制了整個國家的貨幣供應。

In recent years, the Fed has bought bondsand other kinds of securities to try to help the struggling US economy.

在最近的幾年裡，美聯儲購買債券和其它種類的證券確保美國的經濟建設。

It's a practice called quantitative easing.

這就是所謂的“量化寬化政策”

Christine mentioned the possibility of theFed backing off that practice.

Christine說道了美聯儲有可能暫緩這個政策。

Yesterday, the federal reverse announced itwon't.

昨天，美聯儲宣佈它不會做出改變。

The Fed said it doesn't see enoughimprovement in the economy right now. So, it's going to keep buying bonds at thesame rate for at least other month.

美聯儲認為目前沒有看到經濟足夠的好轉，所以它會在幾個月內（至少）堅持用同樣的速率購買債券。

That news went over well on Wall Street.The Dow Jones average and S&P 500. They give an idea of how the whole stockmarket is doing.

這一消息在華爾街內引起很大反響。道鐘斯指數和標準?普爾500指數是整個證券市場的運作“晴雨錶”。

They both jumped to record levels yesterdayafter the Fed's announcement.

在美聯儲的聲明後，兩個指數昨天都降到了最低水準。

In the US, a person making just over 11,500dollars a year is living below the poverty line.

在美國，如果一個人年收入剛剛超過1萬一千五百美元，那他就是生活在貧困線以下。

For a family of 4, it's just under 23,500.

而對於一個四口之家而言，收入低於兩萬三千伍佰元的話就算是在貧困線以下。

What surprising is that 15% Americans areliving in poverty now.

令人驚訝的是15%的美國人是生活在貧困線以下。

According to a new report by the US census,it's the 3rd year in a row that the poverty rate has been at or above 15%.

根據最新的一份美國普查局的報告顯示，今年是貧困人口率連續第三年保持在15%或以上。

The last time it was that high for thislong was 1965.

而只有在1965年才有連續的這麼高的貧困率。

You'd be right to blame the great recessionfor part of this.

我們可以把這些部分歸結於大蕭條。

It's same a lot of folks in the poverty butthe recession officially ended in June of 2009.

大蕭條在2009年六月份已經完全結束了，但是現在還是有很多人生活在貧困中。

Poverty peaked the next year.

明年的時候貧困率會達到頂峰。

What worries many economies is that ithasn't significantly decreased since then.

很多經濟學家擔心的是貧困率在大蕭條結束後並沒有什麼明顯的下降。

One analyst put it like this: The USeconomy has been growing but that hasn't made a difference yet to many UScitizens.

一位分析家這樣認為“美國經濟一直在增長，但是這個增長還沒有對廣大的美國人民造成很大的影響。”

Jobs have been coming back but they arejust not paying as much.

失業率越來越低，但是工資並沒有原來的高。

Right now, the median household income is51,000 dollars a year. In 2007, it was higher and more than 55,000 dollars.

現在每年的家庭入息中位數是五萬一千美元。而在2007年，這一數值更高，超過了五萬五千美元。