Rising gas prices fuel public outrage, and the popular explanation is that unscrupulous oil companies are taking advantage of helpless consumers. This makes a good story but, as Professor Art Carden explains, it’s not accurate. Instead, gas prices can be explained by the laws of supply and demand. Supply shifts occur when it becomes easier or more difficult to bring oil to the market. 高漲的油價激起了大眾的憤慨，對此廣泛的解釋為無恥的石油公司利用無助的消費者. 這 聽起來是個合理的情況，但根據教授Art Carden的解釋，這並不正確. 而是石油的價格是 可以由供給和需求來解釋的. 供給會因為運輸石油到市場的難易而改變. (這裡的 makes a good story 不知道怎麼翻譯，我是看上下文來解釋的。) So what about exorbitant oil company profits? Profits and losses send important signals to the market, attract entry to a market, and ensure resources are allocated effectively. They also can encourage more research and development in alternative energies. Taxing or otherwise curtailing oil industry profits will actually reduce those key market signals and won’t lead to any reduction in prices at the pump. 那麼對於收費過高的石油公司的盈利又如何呢? 盈利和損失會對市場透露出重要的信息， 吸引其他人進入市場，並確保資源有效的分配. 它們也可以鼓勵更多替代能源的研究和 發展. 課稅和削減石油工業的盈利實際上會減少那些關鍵的市場信息，加油也不會更便宜. (最後的"導致加油站的油價降低"我直接省略成我翻譯的樣子，不知道適不適合。) Many of the barriers to entry in the market are actually the result of political problems. Gas prices would be lower if there weren’t barriers to drilling for new sources and barriers to the development of new energy, like nuclear power. They would also be lower if demand were not artificially increased through war and other wasteful expenditures. 許多進入市場的門檻實際上是政治問題造成的結果. 要不是因為開採石油和發展替代能源 ，如核能的門檻的話，油價可能會更低. 油價也可能因為需求沒被經戰爭人為的提高和其 它浪費的支出而更低. (如果還有其他翻譯錯誤/建議也麻煩指出來糾正我，謝謝大家:D) --

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