最近有一件事影响了全世界。Recently something happened that affected the whole world.
就是油价涨了很多。Oil prices went up a lot.
油就是汽油。Oil means gasoline.
开车要用油。You need oil to drive a car.
坐飞机也要用油。You also need oil to fly on a plane.
很多人都觉得日子更难了。Many people feel life has gotten harder.
为什么油价涨了？Why did oil prices go up?
因为中东出了大问题。Because something big happened in the Middle East.
今年二月底。At the end of February this year.
美国和以色列一起攻击了伊朗。America and Israel together attacked Iran.
伊朗是中东的一个大国。Iran is a big country in the Middle East.
它有很多石油。It has a lot of oil.
美国打了伊朗以后。After America attacked Iran.
伊朗非常生气。Iran was very angry.
它做了一个大决定。It made a big decision.
它关了一个叫霍尔木兹海峡的地方。It closed a place called the Strait of Hormuz.
这个海峡是什么？What is this strait?
在中东那边。Over in the Middle East.
大海中间的一条通道。A passage in the middle of the ocean.
运油的船要从这里过。Ships carrying oil have to pass through here.
这个海峡非常重要。This strait is very important.
全世界百分之二十的石油都从这里运出去。Twenty percent of the world's oil is shipped out through here.
百分之二十就是五分之一。Twenty percent is one-fifth.
这是非常大的比例。This is a very large proportion.
三月四号，伊朗关了这个海峡。On March fourth, Iran closed this strait.
关了以后，运油的船就过不去了。After it closed, oil ships couldn't get through.
石油运不出来了。Oil couldn't be shipped out.
石油少了，油价就涨了。With less oil, prices went up.
涨了多少呢？How much did they go up?
以前一桶石油大概八十一美元。Before, one barrel of oil was about eighty-one dollars.
现在涨到了一百零六美元以上。Now it has risen to over one hundred and six dollars.
涨了百分之三十。It went up thirty percent.
百分之三十是什么意思？What does thirty percent mean?
就是如果你以前加油花一百块。It means if you used to spend one hundred dollars on gas.
现在要花一百三十块。Now you have to spend one hundred and thirty dollars.
多了三十块。That's thirty dollars more.
有人说如果打仗继续下去。Some people say if the war continues.
油价可能涨到两百美元。Oil prices might go up to two hundred dollars.
两百美元一桶。Two hundred dollars per barrel.
那就太可怕了。That would be really scary.
要花以前两倍多的钱加油。You would spend more than double on gas.
油价涨了以后会怎么样？What happens after oil prices go up?
很多东西都变贵了。Many things become more expensive.
因为运东西需要用油。Because shipping things requires oil.
卡车运东西用油。Trucks use oil to ship things.
飞机运东西用油。Planes use oil to ship things.
船运东西也用油。Ships also use oil to ship things.
油贵了，运费就贵了。When oil is expensive, shipping is expensive.
运费贵了。When shipping is expensive.
超市里东西的价格就上去了。Prices in the supermarket go up.
你去买水果，贵了。You go buy fruit, more expensive.
你去买肉，也贵了。You go buy meat, also more expensive.
吃饭变贵了。Eating out becomes more expensive.
出门也变贵了。Going places becomes more expensive.
这叫通货膨胀。This is called inflation.
通货膨胀就是东西越来越贵。Inflation means things keep getting more expensive.
你的钱越来越不够花。Your money is less and less enough.
以前能买三个苹果的钱。Money that used to buy three apples.
现在只能买两个。Now can only buy two.
股票市场也受到了很大的影响。The stock market was also greatly affected.
就是你用钱买公司的一小部分。It's when you use money to buy a small part of a company.
公司好了，你赚钱。When the company does well, you make money.
公司不好了，你亏钱。When the company does badly, you lose money.
美国最重要的股票指数叫标普500。America's most important stock index is called the S&P 500.
三月份它跌了差不多百分之七。In March it fell about seven percent.
这是二零二二年以来最大的下跌。This is the biggest drop since 2022.
还有一个指数叫道琼斯。There is another index called the Dow Jones.
有一天它跌了将近八百点。One day it fell almost eight hundred points.
这意味着什么？What does this mean?
意味着很多公司的股票变便宜了。It means many companies' stocks got cheaper.
如果你买了股票。If you bought stocks.
这个月你的钱变少了。Your money got less this month.
为什么股票跌这么多？Why did stocks fall so much?
因为投资者很担心。Because investors are very worried.
投资者就是用钱买股票的人。Investors are people who use money to buy stocks.
他们担心油价继续涨。They worry oil prices will keep going up.
担心公司的成本太高。They worry companies' costs are too high.
成本就是公司花的钱。Costs are the money companies spend.
成本高了，赚的钱就少了。When costs are high, they earn less.
赚的少了，股票就不值钱了。When they earn less, stocks are worth less.
所以大家都在卖股票。So everyone is selling stocks.
卖的人多了，价格就跌了。When more people sell, prices fall.
美国还有一个问题。America also has another problem.
就是政府关门了。The government shut down.
联邦政府的很多工作人员拿不到工资。Many federal government workers can't get their wages.
比如机场的安检人员。Like airport security workers.
他们已经好几个星期没发工资了。They haven't been paid for several weeks.
但是还要每天去上班。But they still have to go to work every day.
但是没有钱。But there is no money.
这让很多人觉得不公平。This makes many people feel it's not fair.
什么时候能好起来？When will things get better?
这要看中东的情况。It depends on the Middle East situation.
美国总统给了伊朗一个期限。The American president gave Iran a deadline.
说四月六号之前要打开海峡。He said open the strait before April sixth.
但是伊朗会不会听。But will Iran listen?
现在还不知道。Nobody knows right now.
如果海峡打开了，油价可能就降了。If the strait opens, oil prices might go down.
降了以后，东西也便宜一些。After they go down, things will be a bit cheaper.
大家就没那么害怕了。People won't be so scared.
但如果打仗继续。But if the war continues.
事情可能更糟糕。Things might get worse.
油价可能更高。Oil prices might go higher.
东西可能更贵。Things might get more expensive.
大家都在等着看会发生什么。Everyone is waiting to see what happens.
这件事告诉我们什么？What does this tell us?
告诉我们世界是连在一起的。It tells us the world is connected.
一个地方打仗了。When there is a war in one place.
全世界都受影响。The whole world is affected.
不只是那个地方贵。It's not just expensive in that place.
全世界都贵。It's expensive everywhere.
你在中国加油也贵了。Gas in China also got more expensive.
你在日本买东西也贵了。Buying things in Japan also got more expensive.
因为大家用的是同一个油。Because everyone uses the same oil.
希望打仗能早一点结束。I hope the war can end soon.
这样油价就能降下来。So oil prices can come down.
东西就不那么贵了。Things won't be so expensive.
大家的日子就好过一些了。Everyone's life will be a little easier.