Consumers can expect gas prices to drop nearly 50 cents a gallon in June—but that may be little consolation to those who face long commutes every day. According to AAA, the average price of gas in the Unites States is currently $3.98, up from $2.89 a year ago. Gas prices have risen 91 cents since January 2011. And prices will probably go even higher before they start to fall.

　　消费者可以期望油价在六月降到每加仑50美分——但是这对那些每天需要长途来回的人来说没有得到多少安慰。根据美国汽车协会，美国平均油价从去年的2.89美元上涨到如今的3.98美元。油价自从2011年1月就上涨了91美分。而且，油价在下跌前还可能涨得更高。

　　What's causing the high prices? Turns out that the price of oil is only one factor. What you pay at the pump also has to do with the stock market and competition with other gas stations nearby.

　　是什么导致油价这么高呢？事实上，石油价格只是其中一个因素。你在加油站所付的钱也跟股票市场和附近其他加油站的竞争有关。

　　"We have to pay whatever the market says we do. It's an instantaneous world," Joe Petrowski, CEO of Gulf Oil, a big gasoline wholesaler, told the Associated Press in March.

　　“我们不得不按照市场所说的价格付款。这是一个即时的世界。”一个大石油批发商——海湾石油公司总裁Joe Petrowski在3月告诉美联社。

　　Gas and oil are commodities, and the prices are based on the cost to replace a seller's supply, not on how much the gas cost to produce. While oil and gas producers are pulling in the big bucks, and possibly paying only a tiny bit in taxes, individual gas station owners aren't seeing much of the profit—they only make a few pennies on each gallon they sell.

　　汽油和石油都是商品，价格是基于代替卖方供应的成本，而不是生产汽油的费用。尽管汽油和石油制造商大赚一笔，而且可能只要交付一点税收，但是私人加油站老板没有赚太多——他们每卖一加仑所赚的钱很少。

　　"Gasoline is the only product in this country that if you're a penny different people will go out of their way to go somewhere else," says Jay Ricker, who owns a BP station in Plainfield, Indiana. But when gas prices do drop, you're not likely to see the difference reflected at the pump right away.

　　“这个国家，汽油是唯一的产品，如果你卖的价格有一点不同，人们就会离开这里去其他地方买。”Jay Ricker是印第安纳州平原镇一家BP加油站老板。但是如果油价真的下降，你也不可能在加油站马上看到变化。

　　"If gasoline prices drop a dime, a station will only pass along one or two pennies a day," Patrick DeHaan, an analyst at GasBuddy.com, told the Associated Press. "They are slower to pass along the discount because they need to make up for money they lost when prices went up."

　　“如果油价下降十美分，加油站将通过每天降低一或两美分。”GasBuddy.com一名分析家Patrick DeHaan告诉美联社。“他们对降价的反应较慢，因为他们必须通过这样弥补价格上涨带来的损失。”

　　Aside from consolidating your errands, carpooling, and using public transportation whenever possible, there are some other things you can do to save money at the pump. Max Bohbot, president of auction site Beezid.com, offers these tips:

　　除了尽可能统一完成差事，合伙用车和使用公共交通工具之外，还有其他可以帮你在加油站省钱的方法。拍卖网站Beezid.com总裁Max Bohbot提供这些秘诀：

　　Drive consistently and carefully. Avoid braking hard or accelerating unnecessarily quickly, you waste gas each time you accelerate just to brake a few seconds later.

　　持续和小心开车。避免紧急刹车和不必要的紧急加速，每次刹车后几秒钟加速都会浪费汽油。

　　Do your research. Calculate how much a trip will cost in gas and then compare it to bus, train or air fares.

　　做调查。 计算出一程要用多少汽油，然后把它跟公共汽车，火车或飞机的费用作比较。

　　Maintain your tires. Check that your tires are inflated according to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. By maintaining well-inflated tires, you ensure your car is getting better mileage than on under-inflated tires.

　　保养你的轮胎。 根据制造商建议的气压，检查轮胎有足够的气。保持气压适当的轮胎，比气压不足的轮胎更能确保你的车得到更好的里程数。

　　Follow the "one minute" rule. If you’re going to idle your car for more than a minute, it’s worth turning off the engine. If it’s going to be under a minute, just leave the car running.

　　遵循“一分钟”规则。 如果你要停车超过一分钟，就需要关闭引擎。而如果少于一分钟，就让汽车开着。

　　Keep your vehicle in top shape. Make sure to have your car or motorcycle inspected before you take a road trip, it’ll save you money to fix anything that might need repairs before your trip instead of potentially breaking down on the road which can become a costly inconvenience.

　　使车辆保持最佳状态。进行公路旅行前确保对汽车或摩托车进行检查，在旅行前对需要维修的东西进行维修比较省钱，然而，在路上发生潜在故障，代价会更高，又不方便。