EN： The conjunction 'as' is used here to mean 'while' or 'at the same time that', introducing a subordinate adverbial clause showing two actions happening simultaneously or causally.
中文： 從屬連接詞 'as' 在此表示「隨著……」或「當……之際」，引導時間或伴隨原因的副詞子句，說明兩件事同時發生且互有關聯。
As living costs increase, more families are cutting back on luxuries.
隨著生活成本增加，越來越多家庭正在削減非生活必需品的開銷。
EN： The superlative adjective form 'the highest' is used with a definite article 'the' to compare three or more items, followed by a prepositional phrase ('in the UK') specifying the domain or group.
中文： 最高級形容詞「the highest」與定冠詞 the 連用，用以在三個以上的對象中作比較，後常接介系詞片語（如「in the UK」）指明範圍或所屬範疇。
This company offers the highest salary in the region.
這家公司提供該地區最高的薪水。
EN： In the UK, island communities such as Shetland and the Hebrides often suffer from significantly higher fuel and grocery prices due to ferry transport costs and a lack of supermarket competition, making energy costs a major political and economic issue.
中文： 在英國，像雪特蘭和赫布里底群島等島嶼社區，往往因渡輪運輸成本高昂以及缺乏大型超市競爭，導致燃料和民生物資價格居高不下，能源開銷也因此成為當地重要的民生與經濟議題。
EN： The prepositional phrase 'According to...' is used to cite an external source or authority. It is typically placed at the beginning of the sentence followed by a comma.
中文： 介系詞片語「According to...」（根據……）用來引用外部消息來源、權威機構或資料。通常置於句首，其後以逗號隔開。
According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow.
根據天氣預報，明天會下雨。
EN： The Present Perfect tense ('has reached') is formed with 'has/have + past participle'. It indicates an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past and has an important result or relevance to the present situation.
中文： 現在完成式（has reached）由「has/have + 過去分詞」構成，表示過去某個不確定時間點發生的動作，且該結果對現在仍有直接影響或重要關聯。
Inflation has reached an all-time high this year.
今年通貨膨脹率已達到歷史新高。
EN： In the UK, fuel is traditionally priced in pence per litre (p/litre), where 100 pence equals 1 pound (£1). The RAC (Royal Automobile Club) is a prominent automotive services company that regularly monitors and publishes national fuel pricing data.
中文： 在英國，燃油價格傳統上以每公升多少便士（pence per litre）為單位表示，100便士等於1英鎊（£1）。英國皇家汽車俱樂部（RAC）是英國代表性的汽車服務機構，定期監測並發布全國燃油價格數據。
EN： The preposition 'for' is used here to indicate price or cost (e.g., 'sold for [price]'). 'More than' acts as a comparative modifier meaning 'over' or 'exceeding'.
中文： 介系詞「for」在此處用來表示價格或代價（例如「以……價格售出」）。「more than」則是比較級修飾語，表示「超過」或「多於」。
He bought the rare book for more than fifty dollars.
他以五十多美元的價格買下了這本罕見的書。
EN： The indefinite article 'a' (or 'an') can be used in rates and measurements with the meaning of 'per' or 'each' (e.g., 'a litre' = 'per litre', 'twice a day' = 'twice per day').
中文： 不定冠詞「a」（或「an」）可用於表示比率或度量單位，意思是「每一」（例如「a litre」相當於「per litre 每公升」；「twice a day」意為「每天兩次」）。
Apples cost three pounds a kilo at the local market.
當地市場的蘋果每公斤售價三英鎊。
EN： In the UK, fuel prices are customarily quoted in pence per litre (p/litre), rather than pounds, even when the price exceeds 100 pence (equivalent to £1.00). Shetland and the Hebrides are remote island communities off the Scottish coast, where high transport costs and limited local competition often make consumer goods and fuel significantly more expensive than on the UK mainland.
中文： 在英國，燃油價格通常以「每公升多少便士（pence per litre）」標示，即使超過 100 便士（即 1 英鎊）也習慣沿用便士計價。雪特蘭與赫布里底群島屬於蘇格蘭外圍的偏遠島嶼，由於貨運成本高昂且缺乏加油站競爭，各類消費品與燃料價格通常顯著高於英國本土。
EN： The conjunction 'because' introduces an adverbial clause of reason. Here, two parallel clauses ('there is little competition' and 'shipping fuel... is expensive') are joined by 'and' under the same 'because' clause to explain why prices are higher.
中文： 從屬連接詞「because」引導原因副詞子句。在本句中，由對等連接詞「and」連接了兩個子句（「there is little competition」與「shipping fuel... is expensive」），共同作為說明價格較高的原因。
He stayed home because it was raining and he felt unwell.
他待在家裡，因為外頭在下雨，而且他覺得身體不舒服。
EN： Gerund phrases (verb + -ing) can function as the subject of a clause and take a singular verb. In 'shipping fuel to remote areas is expensive', the entire phrase acts as a singular subject governing the singular linking verb 'is'.
中文： 動名詞片語（V-ing）可作為子句的主詞，文法上視為單數，因此搭配單數動詞。在「shipping fuel to remote areas is expensive」中，整個動名詞片語擔任主詞，接單數連綴動詞「is」。
Traveling to foreign countries broadens your horizons.
到外國旅行能開拓你的視野。
EN： In the UK, island communities like Shetland or the Hebrides frequently suffer from the 'island premium'—higher prices for goods, food, and fuel due to ferry logistics and a lack of large supermarket or petrol station chains.
中文： 在英國，像雪特蘭或赫布里底群島等島嶼社區經常面臨「島嶼溢價」（island premium）問題——由於仰賴渡輪等繁複物流，加上缺乏大型連鎖超市或加油站的良性競爭，當地的民生物資與燃油價格往往顯著高於本土。
EN： The conjunction 'that' is often omitted after reporting verbs like 'say', 'think', or 'believe' in informal and journalistic styles, introducing a noun clause that functions as the direct object.
中文： 在新聞報導或口語表達中，像 say、think、believe 等引述動詞後面常會省略連接詞 that，直接接名詞子句作為動詞的受詞。
Locals believe the new policy will improve public transportation.
當地居民認為新政策將會改善大眾運輸。
EN： The present continuous tense ('are affecting') is used here to describe an ongoing, evolving situation happening around the present time.
中文： 此處使用現在進行式（are affecting）來描述目前正在持續發生、且持續演變中的影響或情況。
High inflation is affecting family budgets across the country.
高通膨正在影響全國各地的家庭預算。
EN： In the UK, particularly in remote regions such as the Scottish islands, fuel delivery incurs high transport surcharges. Because these communities heavily rely on ferries and road transit for essential supplies, oil price spikes have an immediate ripple effect on all aspects of daily life.
中文： 在英國，特別是蘇格蘭各離島等偏遠地區，燃油必須仰賴渡輪運送，產生昂貴的運輸附加費。由於島民高度依賴航運與陸運獲取生活必需品，油價上漲會迅速波及公共服務、食物供應與日常通勤，形成全面的物價壓力。
EN： Non-defining relative clause (introduced by 'who'): It provides extra, non-essential information about a specific proper noun ('Adam') and is separated by commas.
中文： 非限定關係子句（由 who 引導）：用來為專有名詞（Adam）補充額外說明，前後需加上逗號隔開，省略後不影響主要句意。
Sarah, who works at the local clinic, commutes by bicycle every day.
在當地診所工作的莎拉每天騎自行車通勤。
EN： Noun clause as direct object (introduced by 'that'): Used after reporting verbs like 'said' to report what someone stated.
中文： 名詞子句作受詞（由 that 引導）：常接在 said 等轉述動詞之後，用以陳述說話者所表達的內容。
The manager said that the project would finish on time.
經理表示該專案將會按時完成。
EN： In the UK, fuel prices are commonly quoted in 'pence per litre' on petrol station signs, but high prices over 100 or 200 pence are often converted and expressed in pounds (e.g., £2.28 / litre). Remote Scottish islands face exceptionally high prices due to transport logistics and lack of filling station competition.
中文： 在英國，加油站看板通常以「便士/公升」（pence per litre）標示油價，但當油價飆破 200 便士時，媒體與民眾常以英鎊計價（如 2.28 英鎊/公升）。由於偏遠的蘇格蘭島嶼仰賴海運運送燃油且缺乏市場競爭，當地居民承受的油價往往顯著高於英國本島。
EN： The causative structure 'make + object + adjective' expresses that a cause leads someone or something to enter a particular state. Here, 'makes' takes 'commute' as its object, followed by the adjective 'costly' acting as the object complement.
中文： 「make + 受詞 + 形容詞」是常見的使役結構，用來表達某種原因導致受詞處於某種狀態。在此句中，動詞「makes」後接受詞「commute」，並以形容詞「costly」作為受詞補語。
The heavy rain made the mountain road dangerous for drivers.
大雨使這條山路對駕駛者來說變得非常危險。
EN： Compound adjectives with hyphens: When measurements or descriptions precede a noun to modify it, they are often hyphenated (e.g., '45-mile', 'round-trip'). Note that units remain singular (e.g., 'mile', not 'miles').
中文： 複合形容詞（連字號用法）：當數量、度量或描述置於名詞前做修飾時，常使用連字號連接（如「45-mile」和「round-trip」）。注意此時度量單位名詞須使用單數形（使用「mile」而非「miles」）。
She took a two-hour direct flight to Paris.
她搭乘了兩個小時的直飛航班前往巴黎。
EN： In rural and remote parts of the UK, such as the Scottish islands (like North Uist), public transport can be limited or nonexistent, making residents completely dependent on private cars. A '45-mile round-trip' commute is common across dispersed island communities, so fuel price surges directly and heavily impact daily household budgets.
中文： 在英國鄉村與偏遠地區（例如北尤伊斯特等蘇格蘭島嶼），大眾運輸工具非常有限甚至缺乏，居民極度依賴自用汽車。在島嶼分散的社區之間，「45英里往返」的通勤相當普遍，因此燃料價格飆升會直接且嚴重地衝擊家庭日常開銷。
EN： Present participle clause ('adding that...'): A participial phrase functioning as an adverbial modifier of attendant circumstance, indicating an action happening at the same time as the main reporting verb 'said'.
中文： 現在分詞子句（adding that...）：作為伴隨狀況的狀語修飾語，表示與主要引述動詞「said」同時發生的動作或補充說明。
He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
他走出房間，順手重重甩上了門。
EN： Metaphorical verbs in informal English: 'Skyrocket' means to rise extremely quickly, while 'hammer' (transitive verb) informally means to hit or affect someone very severely and negatively.
中文： 非正式英語中的隱喻動詞：「skyrocket」指價格等飛速暴漲；而「hammer」在此作為及物動詞，口語上意為「沉重打擊」或「給……帶來重創」。
High inflation is hammering small businesses across the country.
高通膨正沉重打擊著全國各地的小型企業。
EN： In rural Scotland and remote island communities (like the Hebrides), almost all goods and fuel must be transported by ferry, which already incurs heavy surcharges. When global oil prices surge, islanders suffer doubly because basic groceries and parcel deliveries include these inflated transportation costs.
中文： 在蘇格蘭鄉村與偏遠離島社區（例如赫布里底群島），幾乎所有民生物資和燃料都必須依賴渡輪運送，本身就承擔額外的附加費。因此當國際油價暴漲時，島民承受的是雙重打擊，連帶日常食品和快遞物流都會跟著大幅漲價。
重要單字附有 IPA 發音、定義、例句和互動式測驗。
在本文中： 柴油，一種重質石油燃料
在本文中： 本土、大陸（相對於島嶼的地區）
在本文中： 競爭（指商業上爭取顧客或市佔率的情況）
在本文中： 偏遠的、僻靜的
在本文中： 通勤（往返住家與工作地點）
在本文中： 通勤路程或時間
在本文中： 昂貴的、代價高昂的
在本文中： 暴漲、飛漲
在本文中： 沉重打擊、重創
片語包含類型標示、雙語定義、用法說明和例句。
The highest (or lowest) price ever recorded in history
創紀錄的價格
A journey to a given place and back again
來回的、雙程的
Financial difficulties or stress caused by money problems or high living expenses
經濟壓力
The cost of energy sources such as petrol or diesel used to run vehicles and machinery
燃油價格、油價