(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
JUDY WOODRUFF: The Biden administration says that it is trying to help mitigate the impact of fuel shortages and supply issues after a cyberattack disrupted the Colonial Pipeline. The pipeline, which supplies to 45 percent of the Southeast, is still shut down five days later. We're going to look at this story in two parts tonight, the impact on gasoline and questions about who's behind it. Amna Nawaz begins with a look at concerns over supply, demand and prices.
AMNA NAWAZ: Judy, a number of gas stations in the South are running out of fuel as drivers rush out to fill up their tanks. Videos of long lines and reports of shortages are popping up in states served by the Colonial Pipeline, and prices at the pump are rising a bit as well. Officials, including Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, are urging consumers to only buy what they need. To understand more about what's happening, we turn to Tom Kloza, head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service. Tom Kloza, welcome to the "NewsHour." Let's start with this Colonial Pipeline. Just to set the table, what is the significance of this one pipeline when it comes to fuel supply here in the U.S.?
TOM KLOZA, Oil Price Information Service: Well, it is the biggest fuel pipeline, by far, in North America. And it moves product probably about 45 percent of the population essentially from Texas all the way up to New Jersey, and including Tennessee with a spur line. So, it is the major artery to supply gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
AMNA NAWAZ: So let's get to some of these videos and the reports that people have been seeing, shortages and outages in a number of Southern states, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, where just today the governor declared a state of emergency. What is going on here? Are there actual fuel shortages, or is it panic buying?
TOM KLOZA: I would say it is mostly panic buying. And I hesitate to use the word shortage, because, usually, that is like yelling fire in a crowded theater. It is a scramble. But there is plenty of gasoline and there's plenty of oil in North America and in the United States. And we have got extra refining capacity, and we're going to be able to import fuel. But this is kind of the coalescing of social media and the fear of missing out on gasoline. They say we're going to run out. And you're seeing that behavior. And the crowd is not making necessarily a wise decision.
AMNA NAWAZ: Well, Tom, you say there's no real shortage. But, at the same time some states have said, we have had a slight 4 or 5 or 6 percent decrease in supply. So what should we understand about that?
TOM KLOZA: Well, we operate on very much a just-in-time inventory situation throughout the country. But there were about 26 or 27 days' supply before Colonial shut down. It is vital. It's a vital artery. But the panic buying, in the sense that, oh, it's not going to be around or my station is going to run out, have really, really catalyzed what would have been an annoyance or an inconvenience into sort of a crisis in some places.
AMNA NAWAZ: At the same time, a lot of folks are seeing some federal leaders stepping up and paying attention to this. We saw the energy secretary today, the homeland security secretary address this from the White House podium. The EPA issued a fuel waiver, that state of emergency I mentioned from the Virginia governor. That sometimes makes people worry more. And they think maybe this is going to be a bigger problem, a prolonged shutdown. What would you say to those folks?
TOM KLOZA: I would say government has acted fairly responsibly so far. And I think this is going to clear up if the pipeline gets going by the weekend, as they have indicated. The question is the term they expect to be significantly restored by the weekend. Well, is that by Sunday? Is it by Friday? And restoration, is that 80 percent, 50 or 60 percent? So that uncertainty is -- has hurt.
AMNA NAWAZ: Tom, what about the impact on gas prices? What are we seeing there?
TOM KLOZA: You know, this is not much of a gasoline pricing event. On Sunday night, the markets opened up about 6 cents higher in gasoline futures, but they have moved sideways since then. And when you mentioned state -- states of emergency, it becomes very difficult to raise gasoline prices when you have a state of emergency in various areas. You have to prove that your wholesale price has gone up.
AMNA NAWAZ: Tom, very briefly, if you had a message for consumers out there who see the videos of long lines, are worried that they may not get the fuel they need, what would you say?
TOM KLOZA: Well, I have already failed in this message. I wanted to be the gasoline whisperer and tell people to stay calm, be patient. But it was a little bit like telling people to do that when they thought there were going to be toilet paper shortages last winter. And people have this fear, and they see the crowd behavior. And they say, well, if everybody else is buying it, I better buy some for me. And that has really, really snowballed in the last 48 hours or so.
AMNA NAWAZ: We hope that people will listen today. That is Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service joining us tonight. Thanks for your time.
TOM KLOZA: Thank you.
重点解析
1.run out of 用完
It is said that the world would run out of fresh water in 2050.
据说到2050年世界上的淡水将会耗尽。
2.pop up 出现
Spring popped up everywhere in the valley.
泉水在山谷中到处涌现。
3.fuel shortage 燃料短缺
The fuel shortage has left many airplanes idle.
燃料的短缺使很多飞机停飞。
4.panic buying 抢购，恐慌性抢购
Why did people engage in panic buying?
为什么民众会参与抢购呢？
5.inventory 存货
Quicker turnarounds mean less wasted inventory, more frequent releases, and more profit.
更快的周转意味着更少的库存浪费、更频繁的发货以及更多的利润。
参考译文
朱迪·伍德乐夫：拜登政府表示，在一次网络攻击中断殖民输油管道后，政府正试图帮助缓解燃料短缺和供应问题的影响。这条输油管道供应东南部45%的地区，五天后将仍处于关闭状态。今晚我们将分两部分来看这件事：该事件对汽油的影响以及幕后黑手的问题。阿姆纳·纳瓦兹首先来跟我们讲讲人们对供应、需求和价格的担忧。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：朱迪，南部地区一些加油站的汽油快用完了，因为司机们都急着去加油。在殖民输油管道服务的各州，排长队的视频和短缺的报道不断出现，加油站的价格也在上涨。包括阿拉巴马州州长艾维在内的官员敦促消费者只需购买所需。为了更多地了解正在发生的事情，我们求助了石油价格信息服务公司能源分析的主管汤姆·克洛萨。汤姆·克洛萨，欢迎来到“新闻一小时”节目，咱们先来聊聊殖民管道吧。首先，这条管道对美国燃料供应的意义是什么？
汤姆·克洛萨，石油价格信息服务公司：嗯，它是目前北美最大的燃料管道，将大约占总人口45%的货物从德克萨斯一路运送到新泽西，包括田纳西和一条支线。所以，它是供应汽油、柴油和航空燃料的主动脉。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：咱们来看一些大家看到的视频和报道，在一些南部州，佛罗里达、乔治亚、阿拉巴马、南卡罗来纳、北卡罗来纳、田纳西州和弗吉尼亚州，州长今天已经宣布进入紧急状态。这是怎么回事呢？是真的出现了燃料短缺，还是出现了恐慌性抢购？
汤姆·克洛萨：我认为主要是恐慌性抢购。我不太愿意用“短缺”这个词，因为，通常，它就像在拥挤的剧院里大喊失火，是一场混战。但北美和美国都有大量的汽油和石油。我们有额外的炼油能力，我们还能够进口燃料。这是社交媒体报道和人们担心买不到汽油的结果。他们说油快用完了，之后就出现了争抢行为，然而群众的决定不一定就是明智的。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：好的，汤姆，你的意思就是并没有真的出现短缺。但是，现在，一些州说我们的供应有4%或5%或6%的轻微下降。这又应该怎么理解呢？
汤姆·克洛萨：嗯，我们在全国实行准时制库存。在殖民输油管道关闭之前有大约26到27天的供应量，这是至关重要的，它是一条重要的动脉。但是恐慌性购买，在某种意义上说，什么油没有了啊、加油站要没油了啊……这真的将一些地方原本的烦恼或不便催化成了某种危机。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：与此同时，很多人看到有一些联邦领导人站出来关注这个问题。我们今天看到能源部长，国土安全部长在白宫讲台上发表了讲话。环境保护署发布了一项燃料豁免，就是维吉尼亚州长说的紧急状态。这有时会让人们更加担心，他们认为这可能会成为一个更大的问题，即输油管道会长期关闭。你想对这些人说些什么呢？
汤姆·克洛萨：我想说，到目前为止，政府的行为相当负责。我认为，如果输油管道能像他们所说的那样在周末之前开工，问题就会得到解决。问题是他们希望输油管道能在周末前得到显著恢复，嗯，所以是周日之前恢复？还是周五之前恢复？另外恢复的程度是80%，还是50%或者60%？所以，这些不确定性就很头疼。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：汤姆，那这件事对汽油价格的影响呢？我们能看到什么影响？
汤姆·克洛萨：你知道，这并不是什么汽油定价事件。周日晚间，汽油期货开盘时上涨了约6美分，但此后一直呈横向走势。当你提到紧急状态时，当各个地区都处于紧急状态时，汽油价格的上涨就会变得非常困难，你必须证明自己的批发价上涨了才行。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：汤姆，简单来说，你想对那些看到视频里的长队，担心自己买不到所需燃料的消费者说些什么？
汤姆·克洛萨：嗯，我自己在这一点上已经失败了。我想成为汽油的低语者，告诉人们要保持冷静，耐心，但这有点像去年冬天人们认为厕纸会短缺时告诉他们的那样。人们有这种恐惧，他们看到了群体行为。他们会说，如果别人都买，那我最好也给自己买一些。在过去的48小时里这一群体逐渐壮大。
阿姆纳·纳瓦兹：我们希望今天人们能够倾听。和我们连线的是石油价格信息服务公司的汤姆·克洛萨，谢谢你能抽出时间。
汤姆·克洛萨：谢谢。
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