Unrest in North Africa and the Middle East has pushed oil prices back into the news. 
北非和中东的动乱使得油价再次成为新闻热点。

Prices have been rising at their fastest level since 2008.
如今油价的增速为2008年以来最快。

Libya is not among the ten largest oil exporters. 
利比亚并不属于世界十大石油输出国。

But the rebellion against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has reduced production, affecting the global market.
但利比亚人反对其领导人穆哈迈尔·卡扎菲一事造成石油生产下降，全球市场因此受到影响。

This month, oil prices rose above $100 a barrel. 
本月的原油价格上涨到100多美元一桶。

Prices went above $145 a barrel in 2008.
2008年，油价曾一度超过每桶145美元。

The price of oil affects prices and demand for energy, plastics, farm chemicals and many other products made with petroleum.
油价影响到能源、塑料、农用化学品和其它许多石油制品的价格和需求。

During the last week of February, Americans paid the second biggest weekly increase in gasoline prices in 20 years. 
二月的最后一周，美国人要支付的油价增幅为20年来周增幅之最。

This young woman has to drive a long way to school, so high gas prices mean less money for other things.
这位年轻女士要开很长的路去上学，高油价意味着她要减少其它方面的开支。

I am a college student and I have to drive 45 minutes to college, so it sucks.
我是一名大学生，每天得开45分钟的车去上学，这一下糟透了。

The United States has a Strategic Petroleum Reserve that contains more than 700 million barrels of oil. 
美国有超过7亿桶的战略石油储备。

President Obama could use some of this emergency supply to help ease fuel prices. 
总统奥巴马可以使用这些应急供应的一部分来缓解油价上涨的趋势。

But intervening in the market could hurt oil production in the United States.
但这种市场干预行为可能会对美国的石油生产造成损害。

Oil prices have been rising at a bad time, just as many economies have been recovering from the global recession. 
油价上涨的不是时候，因为许多经济体正从全球经济衰退中复苏。

Also, several countries in the euro area are still struggling with debt crises.
此外，欧元区的几个国家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. 
欧洲央行行长让-克劳德·特里谢上周表示，需要高度警惕遏制通货膨胀。

That could mean raising interest rates which could hurt European countries heavily in debt.
这可能意味着利率的提高，而这可能会对负债沉重的欧洲国家造成影响。

In the United States, higher fuel prices come just as General Motors and Chrysler show signs of recovery after their reorganizations.
通用汽车公司和克莱斯勒公司重组后才有了复苏迹象，就碰上了美国油价上涨。

American car sales last month were 27% higher than last February. 
上月美国汽车销量比去年同期上涨了27%。

GM led all carmakers with a 47%  increase.
其中通用汽车公司增幅为47%，为所有汽车制造商之最。

High fuel prices reduce demand for big cars and trucks. 
高油价降低了人们对大轿车和卡车的需求。

But economist George Magliano says this time, high prices may be good for carmakers.
但经济学家乔治·马格利亚诺表示，这一次，高油价可能对汽车制造商有利。

With gasoline prices higher, certain people might want to get a much more fuel-efficient vehicle and I don't mean even a hybrid or an electric vehicle which they could do, but the gasoline vehicles get 25-30% better mileage today than they did three or four years ago.
由于油价上涨，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，而是指消耗同样多的汽油用汽油的车子行驶的里程比三四年前提高了25%到30%。