Many centuries ago, wolves served an unexpected purpose in nature. As they walked around, they would accidentally get wildflowers and grass seeds stuck in their fur. Then, these would be released elsewhere, establishing new lands of plants and helping ecosystems do well. Inspired by this, an urban nature reserve in the English town of Lewes enlisted local dogs and their humans to help them rewild the area.

    The project is led by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust in Lewes, funded by Ouse Valley Climate Action. The project calls for dog walkers to pick up dog backpacks containing seeds from staff members. Each bag has cleverly placed holes to help distribute the seeds as the dogs run around the grounds. The team also mixed the seed with sand to both help the seed go further and track where the dogs are putting them.

    The project, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, was inspired by a 2019 project in Chile. In that project, two women, with the help of their three dogs, planted seeds in areas affected by wildfires. Seeing that the Lewes reserve was made worse due to constant foot traffic, Dylan Walker, the manager of this scheme, saw a chance to replicate this idea.

    Walker and the team have already started to see seed germination (发芽) in some areas of the reserve. However, most of the seeds that have been distributed by the dogs are perennials (多年生植物), meaning it’ll be a couple of years before they see some clearer results. Despite this, Walker remains hopeful about the project’s potential benefits for everyone. “A community-based project like this,” Walker explains, “not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process.”

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1.What is the main purpose of the project in Lewes?

A To train dogs to fight with wolves.

B To restore and enrich the local ecosystem.

C To study the behavior of wild wolves.

D To increase tourism in the local area.

解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句“Inspired by this, an urban nature reserve in the English town of Lewes enlisted local dogs and their humans to help them rewild the area.”可知，该项目旨在通过让狗在散步时携带种子进行撒播，以此来帮助恢复和丰富当地的生态系统。故选B。

2.How does the project distribute seeds across the reserve?

A By planting them directly in the ground.

B By getting them stuck in the dogs’ fur.

C By putting backpacks with seeds on dogs.

D By mixing the seeds with water and spraying them.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据第二段第二、三句“The project calls for dog walkers to pick up dog backpacks containing seeds from staff members. Each bag has cleverly placed holes to help distribute the seeds as the dogs run around the grounds.”可知，项目通过让狗佩戴带有巧妙设置的洞的背包（背包里装有种子），使狗在保护区奔跑时，能让种子通过这些洞被撒播出去。故选C。

3.What does the underlined word “replicate” mean?

A Persevere.

B Copy.

C Abandon.

D Assign.

解析：选B。词义猜测题。根据划线单词前面的“was inspired by a 2019 project in Chile. In that project, two women, with the help of their three dogs, planted seeds in areas affected by wildfires.”可知，该项目被认为是英国的第一个此类项目，其灵感来自2019年智利的一个项目，在该项目中，两名妇女在三只狗的帮助下，在全国各地被野火烧毁的地区播种。鉴于英国的该保护区因不断的人流量而退化，可推测该计划背后的经理产生了“复制”这一想法的主意。故选B。

4.What does Dylan Walker hope to achieve through this project?

A A quick recovery of the degraded areas.

B An immediate increase in local footfall.

C Long-term ecological benefits and community engagement.

D A reduction in the number of wildfires in the region.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process.”可知，项目的负责人Dylan Walker希望这个项目不仅能够帮助人们了解野生动物对生态的影响，还能在此过程中使我们的野生动植物和环境变得更加丰富，指向了长期的生态效益和社区参与。故选C。