Less Snow and Water in the Western US
美國西部積雪與水量減少
Introduction
The Western United States has very little snow and water. This is bad for tourism and water safety.
美國西部目前的積雪與水量非常少，這對觀光業與用水安全產生不利影響。
Main Body
The winter of 2025 and 2026 was very warm. There was not enough snow in Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado. Scientists say the earth is getting warmer. This stopped the snow from falling.
2025年與2026年的冬季非常溫暖。懷俄明州、猶他州、新墨西哥州與科羅拉多州的積雪量不足。科學家表示地球正逐漸變暖，這導致了積雪減少。
Ski resorts lost a lot of money. Fewer people visited the mountains. Robert Katz from Vail Resorts said visitors dropped by 24%. This is the biggest drop in 40 years.
滑雪場損失慘重。前往山區的遊客減少了。Vail Resorts 的 Robert Katz 表示訪客人數下降了 24%，這是 40 年來最大的跌幅。
Low snow is a problem for water. The Colorado River Basin needs snow for water. Lake Mead and Lake Powell have very low water levels. This is bad for farms. Food may cost more money. Electricity may also cost more money.
積雪不足對水資源造成問題。科羅拉多河流域需要積雪來供水。米德湖與鮑威爾湖的水位非常低。這對農場不利，食物價格可能會上漲，電費也可能增加。
Conclusion
The region has a big problem. There is no snow and the lakes are empty.
該地區面臨嚴重問題：積雪不足且湖泊水位低落。
Vocabulary Learning
❄️ Talking about 'Less' and 'Fewer'
When we want to say something is smaller in amount, we use different words depending on if we can count it (1, 2, 3...) or not.
1. For things we CANNOT count (Water, Snow, Money, Time) Use LESS
- Example: "Less snow and water" (You cannot say 'one snow' or 'two waters').
- Example: "Less money" (You count dollars, but not 'money' itself).
2. For things we CAN count (People, Resorts, Years, Mountains) Use FEWER
- Example: "Fewer people visited" (You can count 1 person, 2 people).
- Example: "Fewer resorts" (You can count the buildings).
Quick Guide Table
| Type | Word to Use | Example from Text |
|---|---|---|
| Uncountable | Less | Less snow |
| Countable | Fewer | Fewer people |