【英语时差8,16】天上下细菌！关于云的真相

It’s Raining Bacteria! The Truth About Clouds Some clouds appear light and fluffy¹. Others dark and menacing. But are all clouds made of bacteria? Clouds contain dust and ice crystals and other atmospheric² debris³. But they also contain bacteria and other microscopic⁴ organisms. Scientists have done lab experiments showing that microbes can act as ice nuclei⁵. And for a while scientists have suspected that microorganisms swept into the atmosphere end up as parts of clouds. Clouds, Alive? Now, thanks to an airborne mass spectrometer–an instrument that identifies the presence of elements and molecules–scientists know that clouds contain bacteria. In fact, they found that clouds are about a third biological material. Does this mean that clouds are somehow alive? Not necessarily, because it’s not yet clear if the microbes in clouds are living or dead. Climate And Weather Patterns What scientists do know is that the discovery will help develop new climate models. The more we know about how clouds form and what’s in them, the better we can understand their effect on climate and weather patterns. Clouds radiate sunlight back into space and also trap heat on earth. And, of course, clouds produce rain. Knowing that clouds harbor biological material adds another piece to the puzzle of how clouds work, and how they affect life on Earth.

1 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

2 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

3 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

4 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

5 nuclei   

n.核

参考例句：

• To free electrons, something has to make them whirl fast enough to break away from their nuclei. 为了释放电子，必须使电子高速旋转而足以摆脱原子核的束缚。
• Energy is released by the fission of atomic nuclei. 能量是由原子核分裂释放出来的。