CNN News:全球石油价格下降——供大于求

AZUZ: Quick update to the 2016 U.S. presidential race. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker announced yesterday he's no longer a candidate for the Republican nomination. Governor Walker was a front runner when he entered the race in July, but after the first two Republican debates, his poll numbers were down and he withdrew last night.

阿祖兹：快速播报2016年美国总统大选。昨日，威斯康辛州州长斯考特·沃克宣布自己退出共和党提名候选人。州长沃克在六月参选时候一直遥遥领先，但是在第一轮共和党辩论后，他的选票下降。然后，在昨晚，他退出了参选。

That means there are now 15 people seeking the Republican nomination, five are officially seeking the Democratic nomination.

这就意味着现在竞争共和党的提名候选人有15人，而民主党竞争提名候选人有5人。

Crude oil is measure in barrels. Last summer, its global price was $100 per barrel. Yesterday, it was trading at less than half that, at about $46.50 a barrel.

原油按照桶测量。去年夏天，每桶原油的价钱为100美元。昨天，原油的交易价格不还到去年夏天的一半，每一桶的价钱为46.5美元。

Why does that matter?

为什么原油的价钱很重要呢?

Well, the price of crude affects everything from gas prices to car prices, to stock prices. And it determines the number of jobs in the large global oil industry. The current glut of oil, the surplus of it, gives us a clear lesson in the economic principle of supply and demand.

原油的价格会影响石油、汽车以及股票等一切事物的价格。也决定了全球石油市场的工作岗位数量。当今石油过剩，供大于求，给我们上了一堂供求关系的经济原则课。

NARRATOR: When it comes to oil, it used to be all about the Middle East. Today, the Persian Gulf still has plenty of crude, but the boom is global.

解说员： 当涉及到石油，过去想到的就是中东。现在，波斯湾仍有大量的石油，但是繁荣却是全球现象。

We produced a surplus of 2 million to 3 million barrels per day. Oil buried deep beneath the earth surface in shale rock can now be accessed with new technologies like fracking and horizontal drilling.

现在每天我们生产过剩2百万到3百万桶原油。石油深埋于地表的页层下面，可以采用水力压裂和水平钻探等最新的技术来开采。

In 2014, U.S. oil productions saw its biggest jump in more than 100 years, and it's not the only country to unleash a flood of crude. Production in Canada and Brazil has also hit record levels.

2014年，美国实现100年以来原油增长最大增幅，但是美国并不是唯一一个石油大量增长的国家。加拿大和巴西石油产量也破历史新高。

At the same time, there are more alternatives to oil, like natural gas and renewables. When oil supply outstrips demand, prices fall.

同时，现在替代石油的可选择性能源也多了，例如，天然气和其他可再生能源。当石油供大于求时，价钱就下降了。

And cheap oil has consequences. It's great for consumers, costing less to fuel our cars and heat homes. But it can be tough for companies in the oil patch. It hurts profits and leads to job cuts. And the really sharp dip can unsettle global markets.

石油价钱下降会造成影响。对于消费者而言，供暖以及燃油费的成本降低了。但是对于油田公司而言，会损害公司收益并导致公司裁员。但是石油价格急剧下降会扰乱全球市场。