Hong Kong police stop 18 illegal fuel stations. Fuel prices are high.

Apr 25, 2026, 06:17

Introduction

Hong Kong customs officers did 18 operations against illegal fuel stations this year. Fuel prices around the world are going up. The head of customs, Chan Tsz-tat, said there are more illegal stations in cities. But he said the problem is not big.

Main Body

The operations are part of a team effort. Illegal fuel stations are more common in crowded areas. But the problem is still small. Why is it small? Owning a car in Hong Kong costs a lot of money. Petrol prices are very high. Saving money from illegal fuel is a small part of total car costs. So most drivers do not use it. Energy prices went up after a military action by the United States and Israel against Iran. This caused problems with oil supply. Both countries stopped ships in the Strait of Hormuz. That is a key sea route for oil. The price of Brent crude oil went to $105 per barrel. In February it was about $70 per barrel. These events make fuel costs high. That may lead to more illegal fuel stations.

Conclusion

Hong Kong police keep stopping illegal fuel stations. The world energy market has problems because of fighting in the Middle East. The head of customs says the problem is not very big yet.

Vocabulary Learning

cost (n.)
the amount of money needed to buy or do something / 成本；費用
Example:Owning a car costs a lot of money.
fuel (n.)
something used to make energy, like petrol / 燃料；汽油；柴油
Example:The car needs fuel.
police (n.)
people who keep law and order / 警察
Example:The police stop illegal stations.
price (n.)
the amount of money you pay for something / 價格；價錢
Example:Fuel prices are high.
problem (n.)
something difficult or bad that needs to be solved / 問題；難題
Example:The problem is not big.

Sentence Learning

Hong Kong customs officers did 18 operations against illegal fuel stations this year.
Time Marker: "This year" tells when the action happened. It is a time phrase at the end of the sentence.時間標記：「今年」表示動作發生的時間，是句末的時間短語。
But he said the problem is not big.
Connector: "But" connects two ideas and shows contrast. It starts the sentence to show a different idea.連接詞：「但」連接兩個想法，表示對比。它放在句首以顯示不同的觀點。
Illegal fuel stations are more common in crowded areas.
Prepositional Phrase: "In crowded areas" tells where something is more common. It is a prepositional phrase giving location.介詞短語：「在擁擠的地區」說明某事更常見的地方，是表示位置的介詞短語。
Energy prices went up after a military action by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Time Marker: "After a military action" shows the time sequence. It tells that the price increase happened following that event.時間標記：「在一次軍事行動之後」顯示時間順序，說明價格上漲發生在該事件之後。
The world energy market has problems because of fighting in the Middle East.
Reason: "Because of fighting in the Middle East" gives the reason for the problems. It explains why the market has problems.原因：「因為中東的戰鬥」給出了問題的原因，解釋了市場為何有問題。