CNN 2011-03-09

Hi, I'm Carl Azuz, welcoming all of you to CNN Student News on this International Women's Day, March 8th. It's the reason why March was picked to be Women's History Month, and we are commemorating¹ it all month long here on CNN Student News. Today though, we're starting with gas prices.

It's difficult to tell this story without using the word "ouch," because so many of us are feeling the pain at the pump. If you or your parents have filled up the gas tank recently, you know why this headline is so big today. Gas prices are way up. And according to AAA, they've gone up every day for the past 13 days in a row. The total jump over that time: almost 34 cents!

Take a look at this here now. Yesterday, the national average for a gallon of regular was just over $3.50. And the state with the highest average overall? That would be California, at nearly $3.90. The state with the lowest average overall is Montana, at around $3.19.

Now, you see gas prices are different from state to state because part of the price comes from local tax rates. The reason prices are up around the country is because the cost of crude oil -- the biggest part of gas prices -- is on the rise, too. One expert told CNN that he expects gas prices to keep going up, so not much relief in sight.

This is not oil. It's lava², and it's shooting out of a volcano in Hawaii. Scientists say Kilauea was shooting lava as high as 80 feet into the air on Sunday. The state is no stranger to volcanic³ eruptions⁵. That's how the Hawaiian Islands are believed to have been formed in the first place. The islands are the tops of a chain of volcanic mountains like this. Kilauea is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Since 1952, it's erupted 34 times. And this lava you see here, it started flowing over the weekend: It's part of an ongoing⁶ eruption⁴ that started in 1983. It's happening in a remote area, so no people or homes are threatened.

1 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

2 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

3 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

4 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

5 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。