【总结与翻译】

High fuel prices are affecting all areas of life, including education. The United States has an estimated 475,000 school buses. Each day they carry more than 25 million children, half of all schoolchildren in the country.

燃油价格的攀高正影响着人们生活的各个领域，其中包括教育。据估计，美国拥有475,000辆校车。它们每天接送2500多万孩子，其中一半的学生生活于乡村。

But these buses, on average, use 4 liters of diesel fuel to travel less than 16 kilometers. When the school year began last fall, diesel averaged 55 cents a liter nationally. The price nearly doubled, to a dollar and eight cents, by the end of school in June.

但这些校车行驶近16公里，平均消耗4升柴油。去年秋季新学年开始时，美国每升柴油的价格平均为55美分。而在今年六月份学期结束时，该价格近乎翻番，达到了1.08美元。

Bob Riley speaks for the American School Bus Council, an industry coalition. He says fuel prices negotiated for schools are not much lower than others have to pay.

Bob Riley代表美国校车委员会（一行业联合会）发表了讲话，他称，为学校而商定的燃油价格并不比其它行业所要支付的价格低很多。

As a result, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels. And a few places are investigating hybrid fuel-electric technology. Other steps include fewer field trips and less travel by sports teams. And some school districts may end any bus service not required by law.

因此，各学校都在寻找降低运输成本的方法。有些情况下，校车行驶路线被重新修改或取消。一些地区正在购买可以使用天然气或其他替代燃料的校车。还有少数地区正在查询有关燃油-电的混合技术。其它措施还包括减少学生的野外考察以及校运动队的出行。并且有些学区还可能终止法律并不要求的任何校车服务。

posted on 2008-07-23 23:52 echo 阅读(15) 评论(0)  编辑  收藏 网摘收藏