首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
It’s easy to see why the price of gasoline is so upsetting to so many people. Gas prices are the one economic indicator you se
It’s easy to see why the price of gasoline is so upsetting to so many people. Gas prices are the one economic indicator you se
admin
2021-10-13
104
问题
It’s easy to see why the price of gasoline is so upsetting to so many people. Gas prices are the one economic indicator you see all the time, prominently posted on big signs—and the prices are at record levels, seemingly rising by the hour. That’s created a new pastime: driving around until you hit the big score, saving a nickel a gallon.
Is this a good use of your time? Not really, once you calculate how long it takes to drive around looking for a bargain and how much gas you burn doing it. If you’re already at the financial brink, higher gas prices might push you over—but for most people, they ought not to be that big a deal. Don’t believe me? Here are the numbers. During its first five years, the average vehicle costs its owner around $725 a month, according to Edmunds.com, an automotive Web site. That includes depreciation, insurance, maintenance and such, but not gas. That averaged $1.94 a gallon last week, up 45 cents from a year ago. The average vehicle uses 550 gallons of gas annually. Do the math, and at today’s price, it costs around $1,070 a year to fuel an average vehicle, up from $820. The difference: less than $25 a month. Forego the Big Gulp, hot dog and chips that you get along with your fill-up, and you’ll be ahead of the game.
If you must worry, at least worry about the right thing: the way energy prices will slow down the economy if they stay at current levels. "Higher energy costs flow into every nook and cranny of the economy," says Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Each dollar-a-barrel price hike acts like a $20 million-a-day tax—$7.3 billion a year—on the rest of the economy, with another $13 million a day for natural gas, also in short supply. Oil’s up $12 a barrel in the past year, a levy that runs more than $100 billion annually. Even in an $11 trillion economy, that stings.
Unlike previous price spikes, caused by supply shortages, the current jump is caused largely by higher demand as the U.S. economy recovers, China’s surges and the rest of the world’s fortunes improve. That’s the bad news part of the good economic news. But while supply and demand drive prices in the long term, in the short term they’re heavily influenced by financial players, such as traders on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Yergin estimates that the combination of anxiety about the Middle East and financial players have added $6 to $8 a barrel to oil prices, which closed at $41.38 a barrel Friday. This means that even though world supplies are tight, oil could be knocked down to about $30.
Maybe we need some out-of-the-box thinking to dull this price spike. Sure, there’s a long-term problem, requiring less demand or more supply. But for now, perhaps the Bush administration could use the 660-billion-barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve to push prices down. One approach, suggested by Loews CEO Jim Tisch, whose company has extensive energy holdings, is to trade some reserve oil for oil to be delivered in a year. Based on Friday’s prices, we could swap six barrels today for seven we’d get in 2005. That seems smarter than what we’re doing: filling the reserve at today’s prices. Think of it. We’d both save money and reduce current demand.
The White House isn’t going for that, however. "The president believes that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve should be used only in the event of an emergency, not to manipulate prices," said White House spokesman Trent Duffy. It should be noted that Bush excoriated Bill Clinton for using the reserve to drive down heating-oil prices to help Al Gore. Sure, that was political— but not necessarily unsound economically.
OK, even if you insist on thinking inside the box, just remember that although the big picture is well worth your worry, your gas bill’s not worth obsessing over. After all, at the current prices, conserving’s important—even mental energy.
According to the author, what is the most serious consequence of the current higher oil price?
选项
A、The economy will slow down.
B、Fewer people can afford to drive.
C、People try to save pennies a gallon.
D、People are wasting time looking for cheap oil.
答案
A
解析
本题考查对第三段的理解:油价上涨的最严重后果是经济发展变得迟缓。故选项A为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/vcIK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
A、Buyingsomebooks.B、Preparingforlunch.C、Meetingwithfriends.D、Goingtohercompany.B女士在回答男士吃饭时是否抽烟这个问题时,忽然想起自己的丈夫和儿子还在等
PASSAGEONEWhydidtheauthor’sheartpoundwhenheclutchedhisdime?
CharacteristicsqfAmericanCultureI.PunctualityA.Goingtothetheater:be【T1】______twentyminutesprior【T1】______B.
CharacteristicsqfAmericanCultureI.PunctualityA.Goingtothetheater:be【T1】______twentyminutesprior【T1】______B.
CharacteristicsqfAmericanCultureI.PunctualityA.Goingtothetheater:be【T1】______twentyminutesprior【T1】______B.
PASSAGEONEWhatcanreducethecitizens’emotionalresponseaftertheterroristattack?
Accordingtoarecentsurvey,74%ofAmericanadultsonlineusesocialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebook,InstagramandTwitter.
A、Therearelesscollegegraduatesthisyear.B、Thegovernmentisfundingunemploymentscheme.C、Employersareinclinedtohire
A、Shehassold15millionsinglesintheworld.B、Shewasonthelistofthe10MostInfluentialPeople.C、Shedidn’tfeelsurpr
...Finally,oneoftheprimarypurposesofartisto【T1】______athand.Subjectmatterdoesnotchangeallthatmuchovertime.
随机试题
下列不是输液目的的选项是
“五四”制中强调由原料到成品实行“四不”制,包括:采购员不买腐烂变质的原料;保管验收员不收腐烂变质的原料;加工人员不用腐烂变质的原料;服务员不卖腐烂变质的食品。()
男,30岁,因车祸引起右胸部损伤,极度呼吸困难,发绀,肺呼吸音消失,并有严重的皮下气肿,判断为张力性气胸。急救应立即
确诊风湿热的主要表现哪项是错误的
甲公司是国内一家大型生产制造企业,为上海证券交易所上市公司,因公司经营发展需要,于2018年对外进行了一系列的股权投资业务。(1)2018年3月15日,甲公司召开股东会就收购其上游公司乙公司100%股权的事宜进行表决,获股东大会通过;2018年3月20日
甲公司与乙公司签订一份买卖合同。合同约定:若发生合同纠纷,须交A市仲裁委员会仲裁。后因乙公司违约,甲公司依法解除合同,并要求乙公司赔偿损失。双方对赔偿数额发生争议,甲公司就该争议向A市仲裁委员会申请仲裁。乙公司认为,因合同被解除,合同中的仲裁条款已失效,故
被称之为“书圣”的是我国著名书法家王羲之,其代表作《兰亭集序》的书体是()。
商洽性文件的主要文种是()。
在面向对象方法中,不属于“对象”基本特点的是()。
WhenPearmanofferedtowashthewindshieldforFredy,______.WhatdidPearmanmeanbysaying"heisabusinessman"(Line1-2,
最新回复
(
0
)