Many People Are Sick From a Small Parasite
許多人感染一種微小寄生蟲而生病
Introduction
Health workers are studying a sickness in 31 U.S. states. Many sick people live in Michigan and Ohio.
衛生人員正在研究美國 31 個州的種疾病。許多病患居住在密西根州和俄亥俄州。
Main Body
A tiny parasite makes people sick. People get it from dirty food or water. It causes stomach pain and weight loss. In Michigan, over 2,000 people got sick. This is a very big number for that state.
一種微小的寄生蟲會使人染病。人們是透過不潔的食物或水而感染。它會導致胃痛和體重減輕。在密西根州，有超過 2,000 人染病。對於該州來說，這是一個非常大的數字。
It is hard to find the bad food. The parasite stays in the body for two weeks before the person feels sick. Also, doctors cannot grow the parasite in a lab. This makes the work slow.
目前很難找出有問題的食物。寄生蟲在體內停留兩週後，患者才會感到不適。此外，醫生無法在實驗室中培養這種寄生蟲。這使得工作進展緩慢。
Some health offices have less money now. They have fewer workers to help. Some programs do not track this parasite anymore. The government says this is to save money, but experts disagree.
一些衛生部門現在資金減少。他們聘僱的員工較少，無法提供足夠幫助。某些計畫已不再追蹤這種寄生蟲。政府表示這是為了節省開支，但專家並不認同。
Conclusion
Doctors do not know where the parasite came from. They tell people to cook their vegetables to stay safe.
醫生不知道這種寄生蟲的來源。他們建議人們將蔬菜煮熟以確保安全。
Vocabulary Learning
💡 THE 'COUNTING' PATTERN
In this text, we see how to describe amounts. This is a key skill for A2 learners.
1. Big Amounts (Many/Over) When we don't have an exact number, or the number is very high, we use these words:
- Many people A lot of people.
- Over 2,000 More than 2,000.
2. Small Amounts (Less/Fewer) When something decreases, the word changes based on what you are counting:
- Less money Used for things you cannot count (money, water, time).
- Fewer workers Used for things you can count (people, books, cars).
Quick Summary Table:
| Direction | Uncountable (Money) | Countable (Workers) |
|---|---|---|
| More | Many / Much | Many / More |
| Less | Less | Fewer |