In the late-2000s it experienced a boom and bust cycle in America and, to a lesser extent, Europe.
老师你好，请问插入语to a lesser extent里的to能否去掉，它有哪些用途是什么？感觉它和文言文里的之非常像，简短而又难懂。谢谢！
to 不可以省略，to ... exent 是固定搭配，意思是“到…程度”“在…程度上”。又如：
To a certain extent, we are all responsible for this tragic situation. 大家都在一定量上对这悲惨的局面负有责任。
He had changed to such an extent that I no longer recognizedhim. 他变得我简直认不出了。
To some extent what she argues is true. 她的论证在某种程度上是符合事实的。
The pollution of the forest has seriously affected plant life and, to alesser extent, wildlife. 森林污染严重干扰了植物的存活，第二也对野生动物导致了影响。