He assignment for this lesson is to read a passage and answer the following questions: What inference can you make from this passage? What explicit and implicit details support your inference? The population of the Southwest is growing more quickly than the national average. Desert cities like San Antonio, Phoenix, and Los Angeles now boast populations in the millions. This population boom is hard on the desert environments of these cities. The most obvious issue is the lack of water. Because these cities get less than 10 inches of average rainfall a year, they rely on water in rivers flowing from the Rocky Mountain region, almost 800 miles away.
Though water shortages are a concern in many areas, this is especially true in the deserts of southern California, Arizona, and Texas. These shortages can pose problems for everyone, from farmers to normal citizens. One result of water shortages is an increase in wildfires, such as those that have occurred recently near Los Angeles. Such fires have the potential to destroy property and hurt or kill people.