高油价导致穷人生活更困难

High Gas Prices Hit Rural Poor Hardest

高油价导致穷人生活更困难

 

Gasoline prices across the globe have dropped over the course of the last two months -- from what were record highs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Still, the price of gasoline is much higher today than it was two and a half years ago, before the war in Iraq began. And while gas prices are a concern for everyone, they are a particular concern for America's rural poor.

 

Christopher Hickman is a mechanic in rural, upstate New York. He lives about 25 kilometers from the nearest grocery store, 35 kilometers from his place of work, and 20 kilometers from his ex-wife, with whom he shares custody¹ of his three children.

 

He estimates he drives about 600 kilometers a week, going to and from the places he needs to visit, and that requires a lot of gas.

 

Christopher Hickman: The gas prices aren't the greatest, I mean, I go through probably between $60 and $80 a week in my truck. And that's quite a lot of money.

 

In fact, it is about 30% more money than what it cost Mr. Hickman to do the same amount of driving in March of 2003. Yet, his wages have gone up just 7% since that time, and at around $28,000 a year, those wages are barely enough to keep him and his family above the poverty line.

 

A recent report released by the Consumer Federation² of America found that poor Americans are spending a much greater portion of their income on gas than their middle and upper-income counterparts. People earning less than $15,000 a year, for example, will spend about 10% of their income on gas in 2005, while those earning $80,000 or more will spend just 2%.

 

Some of this is because a liter of gasoline costs the same amount, regardless of how much money you have to spend. But some of it is also due to the fact that many poor Americans -- more than 20% of them -- live in rural areas.

 

Tom Rowley: My wife and I just moved from Washington, DC, back to rural Texas, and I'm amazed at how much time I spend behind the steering³ wheel.

 

Tom Rowley is a fellow at the Rural Poverty Research Institute. He says Americans in rural areas earn about 25% less than those in cities. The rural poor are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations⁵ in gas prices, because they have to travel great distances, and also because they don't have the public transportation options that poor people in urban areas have.

 

It is a reality that Tom Rowley says politicians -- many of whom live in big cities - don't always understand.

 

Tom Rowley: I think the farther up the chain you go in political representation, the more disconnected people become from rural realities. If you're talking about county commissioners⁶, yes, they understand it. If you're talking about state legislators -- a little less, but still somewhat. When you get to Washington, D.C., I think a lot of that gets forgotten, frankly⁷.

 

And that is unfortunate, according to Tom Rowley, since it is the politicians in Washington who are in the best position to do something about gas prices.

 

One reality that Christopher Hickman is facing in upstate New York is that he is going to have to make some sacrifices this upcoming holiday season.

 

Christopher Hickman: You know, we thought about taking the kids down to Virginia on a vacation for Thanksgiving, and now with gas prices being the way they are, it's going to cut into our finances for going down there. So we've had to cut back.

 

The Hickmans will probably be staying home this Thanksgiving. Christopher Hickman says it is either that, or cut back on Christmas, which he would rather not do.

 

I’m Maura Farrelly.

 

注释：

mechanic [mi5kAnik] n. 机械工；机修工

upstate [5Qp5steit] adj. 偏僻的，北部的

grocery [5^rEusEri] n. <美>食品杂货店

custody [5kQstEdi] n. 监护权

barely [5bZEli] adv. 仅仅，刚刚

liter [5li:tE] n. 公升

vulnerable [5vQlnErEb(E)l] adj. 脆弱的

fluctuation⁴ [7flQktju5eiFEn] n. 波动，起伏

sacrifice [5sAkrifais] n. 牺牲

upcoming [5Qp7kQmiN] adj. 即将来临的

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

4 fluctuation   

n.(物价的)波动，涨落；周期性变动；脉动

参考例句：

• The erratic fluctuation of market prices are in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。
• Early and adequate drainage is essential if fluctuation occurs.有波动感时，应及早地充分引流。

5 fluctuations   

波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table. 他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• There were so many unpredictable fluctuations on the Stock Exchange. 股票市场瞬息万变。

6 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。