NBC晚间新闻 美国汽油价格上涨

Summer drives up gas prices

夏季的到来导致汽油涨价

A decline in crude inventories¹, combined with production glitches² at a few U.S. refineries³, is pushing up gas prices during the summer months when demand for gas is higher. NBC’s Tom Costello reports.

原油库存下降，加上几家炼油厂出现生产故障，同时夏季汽油的需求也更高，导致天然气价格上涨。NBC的Tom Costello报道。

Thousands of Americans hitting the road, the peak of summer vacation season. If you're among them, you have seen what we are paying for gas. AAA says the average price for gallon of regular now 3.61. That's up 14 cents from one week ago and it goes up from there. We asked NBC's Tom Costello to look at what's driving it this time. Tom, Good evening.

reporter: Hi, Brian. In fact, July and August are typically the peak months for summer driving, as Americans pack up for the summer vacation . We are told that is at least one reason why gas prices are moving higher. Summer in Los Angeles and Mike's three ice cream trucks are on the move, but keeping them fueled up costs him 300 dollars a day. Nine years ago, it cost half that.

It affects my bottom line, because at the end of the day you it's what you take home.

reporter: California has some of the highest gas prices in the lower 48, averaging 4.01 a gallon. In the midwest, it's Illinois and Chicago where the city averages 4.06 a gallon. The cabbies know 

To make a dollar, I have to come up with 75. And nobody has got into my cab, you know?

I have to have gas in order to go to work. So it affects my life greatly.

reporter: Why the sudden surge? Analysts⁴ say you can blame a lot of it on the summer driving season.

This is an old-fashioned case of supply and demand . Americans requiring more regular gasoline, refineries producing it, resulting in a decline in crude inventories.

reporter: There's also concern the unrest in Egypt could spread and disrupt the flow of oil through the Suez Canal . There have been production hiccups⁵ at a few u.s. refineries, helping⁶ to push prices even higher. Add it all up, an extra 14 cents per gallon in a week, 22 cents in a year and 800-mile round trip in the family van from Chicago to minneapolis will likely cost about 178 dollars in fuel. Looking for the cheapest gas? Gasbuddy.com has an app for that. You simply type in your location and the stations with the lowest gas pop up. Here in Washington, it ranges from 3.59 a gallon to 4.79. Some consumer advocates are skeptical⁷ with the oil industry 's explanation that prices are driven by the markets and not manipulated seasonally⁸ by the oil companies themselves. Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles

If the prices' of gas keep going up, guys like me will eventually go out of business.

reporter: The ice cream man is considering parking his trucks in a fix location, giving up on chasing gas prices . Some analysts we talked to say we may see another ten-cent increase for the gas pump but may be the top for the summer. The big variable continues to be the weather. A hurricane could send prices even higher. Brian?

Tom Costello, Suburban⁹ Washington for us tonight. Thanks, Tom.

1 inventories   

n.总结( inventory的名词复数 )；细账；存货清单（或财产目录）的编制

参考例句：

• In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下，比如存货，其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
• The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。

2 glitches   

n.小过失，差错( glitch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output. 生产中的故障影响了该厂的产量。 来自辞典例句
• Another kind of period variation,\"Glitches,\" are seen in several pulsars. 在几个脉冲星中还看到了周期的另一种变化，即“自转突快”现象。 来自辞典例句

3 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 hiccups   

n.嗝( hiccup的名词复数 )；连续地打嗝；暂时性的小问题；短暂的停顿v.嗝( hiccup的第三人称单数 )；连续地打嗝；暂时性的小问题；短暂的停顿

参考例句：

• I cannot find a rhyme to "hiccups". 我不能找到和hiccups同韵的词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Can we rhyme 'hiccups'with 'pick-ups'? 我们能把‘hiccups’同‘pick－ups’放在一起押韵吗？ 来自辞典例句

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

8 seasonally   

参考例句：

• The price of vegetables fluctuates seasonally. 蔬菜的价格随季节变动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They moved seasonally among various vegetation types to feed on plants that were flourishing. 它们还随着季节的变化而在各种类型植物之间迁移，以便吃那些茂盛的植物。 来自辞典例句

9 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。