油價爲什麼這麼高？這不只跟石油有關

Consumers can expect gas prices to drop nearly 50 cents a gallon in June—but that may be little consolation to those who face long commutes every day. According to AAA, the average price of gas in the Unites States is currently $3.98, up from $2.89 a year ago. Gas prices have risen 91 cents since January 2011. And prices will probably go even higher before they start to fall.
消費者可以期望油價在六月降到每加侖50美分——但是這對那些每天需要長途來回的人來說沒有得到多少安慰。根據美國汽車協會，美國平均油價從去年的2.89美元上漲到如今的3.98美元。油價自從2011年1月就上漲了91美分。而且，油價在下跌前還可能漲得更高。

What's causing the high prices? Turns out that the price of oil is only one factor. What you pay at the pump also has to do with the stock market and competition with other gas stations nearby.
是什麼導致油價這麼高呢？事實上，石油價格只是其中一個因素。你在加油站所付的錢也跟股票市場和附近其他加油站的競爭有關。

"We have to pay whatever the market says we do. It's an instantaneous world," Joe Petrowski, CEO of Gulf Oil, a big gasoline wholesaler, told the Associated Press in March.
“我們不得不按照市場所說的價格付款。這是一個即時的世界。”一個大石油批發商——海灣石油公司總裁Joe Petrowski在3月告訴美聯社。

Gas and oil are commodities, and the prices are based on the cost to replace a seller's supply, not on how much the gas cost to produce. While oil and gas producers are pulling in the big bucks, and possibly paying only a tiny bit in taxes, individual gas station owners aren't seeing much of the profit—they only make a few pennies on each gallon they sell.
汽油和石油都是商品，價格是基於代替賣方供應的成本，而不是生產汽油的費用。儘管汽油和石油製造商大賺一筆，而且可能只要交付一點稅收，但是私人加油站老闆沒有賺太多——他們每賣一加侖所賺的錢很少。

"Gasoline is the only product in this country that if you're a penny different people will go out of their way to go somewhere else," says Jay Ricker, who owns a BP station in Plainfield, Indiana. But when gas prices do drop, you're not likely to see the difference reflected at the pump right away.
“這個國家，汽油是唯一的產品，如果你賣的價格有一點不同，人們就會離開這裏去其他地方買。”Jay Ricker是印第安納州平原鎮一家BP加油站老闆。但是如果油價真的下降，你也不可能在加油站馬上看到變化。

"If gasoline prices drop a dime, a station will only pass along one or two pennies a day," Patrick DeHaan, an analyst at , told the Associated Press. "They are slower to pass along the discount because they need to make up for money they lost when prices went up."
“如果油價下降十美分，加油站將通過每天降低一或兩美分。”一名分析家Patrick DeHaan告訴美聯社。“他們對降價的反應較慢，因爲他們必須通過這樣彌補價格上漲帶來的損失。”Aside from consolidating your errands, carpooling, and using public transportation whenever possible, there are some other things you can do to save money at the pump. Max Bohbot, president of auction site , offers these tips:
除了儘可能統一完成差事，合夥用車和使用公共交通工具之外，還有其他可以幫你在加油站省錢的方法。拍賣網站總裁Max Bohbot提供這些祕訣：

•Drive consistently and carefully. Avoid braking hard or accelerating unnecessarily quickly, you waste gas each time you accelerate just to brake a few seconds later.
•持續和小心開車。避免緊急剎車和不必要的緊急加速，每次剎車後幾秒鐘加速都會浪費汽油。

•Do your research. Calculate how much a trip will cost in gas and then compare it to bus, train or air fares.
•做調查。 計算出一程要用多少汽油，然後把它跟公共汽車，火車或飛機的費用作比較。

•Maintain your tires. Check that your tires are inflated according to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. By maintaining well-inflated tires, you ensure your car is getting better mileage than on under-inflated tires.
•保養你的輪胎。 根據製造商建議的氣壓，檢查輪胎有足夠的氣。保持氣壓適當的輪胎，比氣壓不足的輪胎更能確保你的車得到更好的里程數。

•Follow the "one minute" rule. If you’re going to idle your car for more than a minute, it’s worth turning off the engine. If it’s going to be under a minute, just leave the car running.
•遵循“一分鐘”規則。 如果你要停車超過一分鐘，就需要關閉引擎。而如果少於一分鐘，就讓汽車開着。

•Keep your vehicle in top shape. Make sure to have your car or motorcycle inspected before you take a road trip, it’ll save you money to fix anything that might need repairs before your trip instead of potentially breaking down on the road which can become a costly inconvenience.
•使車輛保持最佳狀態。進行公路旅行前確保對汽車或摩托車進行檢查，在旅行前對需要維修的東西進行維修比較省錢，然而，在路上發生潛在故障，代價會更高，又不方便。