石油是物价上涨的主要原因。
Oil was the prime cause of the price surge.
这个地区疾病的主要原因是水不清洁。
A major cause of the disease in this area is unclean water.
日本公司有能力在发展与生产方面，较美国公司投资为多，是他们在半导体方面占上风的一个主要原因。现在，英泰尔计划在经济不景气时大量投资以压倒弱小竞争者。
The ability to outspend American companies on development and production has been a big reason Japanese companies have made gains in the semi-conductor business. Now Intel plans to borrow a page from the Japanese by spending heavily through a recession to gain ground on weaker competitors.
