文章大意：这是一篇说明文，主要讲述了地球的天空变得更清晰，让更多的阳光进入，这可能是全球变暖加速的一个原因。文章中提到了CERES的研究发现，以及对于气溶胶在全球变暖中的作用的讨论。
9 . When 2023 turned out to be the hottest year in history, it underlined the warnings of some outstanding climate scientists that the pace of global warming was accelerating and had entered a dangerous new phase. A new study, published in Communications Earth & Environment, suggests one reason for such an acceleration: Earth’s skies are getting clearer and letting in more sunshine.
The study was carried out by a set of NASA instruments in space that since 2001 have tracked the delicate balance of energy entering and leaving the planet. Over the past decade, the instruments, called the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES), have detected a marked rise in the amount of solar energy the planet has absorbed — well beyond the warming expected from rising greenhouse gases. The readings show the planet has become less reflective, as if it recently put on a darker shirt. One reason is a drop in light-reflecting pollution because of power-plant scrubbers (洗涤器) and cleaner fuels, the researchers say. They calculate that cleaner air could account for 40% of the increased energy warming the planet between 2001 and 2019.
Climate scientists have long known that pollution declines can lead to warming: Not only do the pollution particles (微粒), or aerosols, reflect light into space, but they can also increase the number of droplets in clouds, causing them to grow brighter or last longer. Two years ago, the decline of aerosols became detectable on a global scale. But the climate models used in the new study attributed a startling (惊人的) amount of warming to the pollution drop.
However, falling pollution may not be the only reason for the brighter skies detected by CERES, a trend that kicked up after 2015. The models were unable to explain up to 40% of the extra absorbed light, and the CERES data show reflectivity falling in both hemispheres (半球), whereas pollution has fallen the most in the north. Both of those observations suggest other factors might be reducing Earth’s reflectivity. The models in the new study may be overstating the influence of aerosols, says Bjorn Stevens, a climate scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. “If the models are too sensitive to aerosols, as some of us think, it will cause us to look in the wrong direction.”
The new study highlights the important role aerosols will play as Earth continues to warm, and the need to keep models updated, says Tiffany Shaw, a climate dynamicist at the University of Chicago. The skies will only get clearer, with pollution controls in China taking force, and India soon expected to follow. Aerosol declines will also reshape regional weather, with cleaner air leading to a weaker Asian monsoon and increased heat extremes in northern hemisphere.
1. According to the article, which of the following concerning CERES is true?
| A．CERES has been keeping track of the delicate balance of energy since the early 20th century. |
| B．CERES has discovered a noticeable increase in the amount of solar energy absorbed by the planet. |
| C．CERES has detected that the warming is exactly in line with the rising greenhouse gases. |
| D．CERES has provided data to fully explain where the extra absorbed light comes from. |
2. Which of the following is not the property of the pollution particles?
| A．They can throw light to the earth back into space. |
| B．They can increase the number of clouds in the sky. |
| C．They can increase the brightness and duration of clouds. |
| D．They can give rise to more tiny drops of water in clouds. |
3. What does Bjorn Stevens think of the new study?
| A．The models in the new study are too sensitive. |
| B．The result of the new study is misleading. |
| C．The findings of the new study may be unreliable. |
| D．The new study attaches great importance to the role aerosols will play. |
4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
| A．CERES has figured out the reason for global warming. |
| B．Aerosol declines will reshape regional weather. |
| C．Pollution declines are making the earth’s skies clearer. |
| D．Clearer skies may be accelerating global warming. |
