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一大片土地如果不再用来打猎，能不能变回野生动物的家？文章从英国两家野生动物慈善机构的最新消息讲起：它们在 10 月 30 日宣布，已买下英格兰北部面积约 3,800 公顷的 Rothbury 庄园。接着交代庄园的历史和出售经过，再用一组数字说明 3,000 万英镑从哪里来：两万五千多名普通人的捐款占了一半以上，政府和基金也提供了支持，还有一部分靠低息贷款先补上。随后文章介绍机构的计划——增加已有物种的数量，并设想建立一条通往苏格兰边境的自然走廊，志愿者也已开始用录音设备和数蚯蚓等方式了解这片土地。最后文章呈现另一种声音：庄园里有 12 个仍在经营的农场，一些农民和地方议员担心粮食生产和生计。阅读时可留意 might、could、hope 等表示计划和可能性的词，以及 However、Because、Whether 如何引出转折、原因和尚未确定的问题。

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On Friday, two British wildlife charities announced that they had bought one of the largest pieces of land sold in England for decades. The Rothbury Estate in Northumberland, in northern England, covers about 3,800 hectares, an area about the size of Athens. The charities now plan to turn much of it into a richer home for wildlife.

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周五，英国两家野生动物慈善机构宣布，它们买下了几十年来英格兰出售的最大地块之一。位于英格兰北部诺森伯兰郡的 Rothbury 庄园占地约 3,800 公顷，面积与雅典相当。这两家机构现在计划把其中大部分土地变成更适合野生动物生活的家园。

The estate had belonged to the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland, for almost 800 years, and until 2022 it was used for shooting birds called grouse. In 2023, Max Percy, the duke’s youngest son, put it up for sale. He agreed to give The Wildlife Trusts two years to raise the money. Campaigners called it “a once-in-a-generation opportunity“.

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这片庄园属于诺森伯兰公爵 Percy 家族已近 800 年，直到 2022 年还被用来猎杀一种叫松鸡的鸟。2023 年，公爵的小儿子 Max Percy 将其挂牌出售。他同意给野生动物信托两年时间筹款。活动人士称这是“一代人只有一次的机会”。

The price of 30 million pounds came from many sources. More than 25,000 members of the public gave over 17 million pounds. After the TV presenter David Attenborough backed the appeal, it brought in over one million pounds in a single week. A national heritage fund added five million pounds, and the government promised 1.94 million pounds this month. Because some promised money has not arrived yet, the charities took a low-interest loan to complete the purchase.

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3,000 万英镑的价款来自多个渠道。超过 25,000 名公众捐出了 1,700 多万英镑。电视节目主持人大卫·爱登堡支持这项募捐后，仅一周就带来了超过 100 万英镑。一个全国性的遗产基金又提供了 500 万英镑，政府本月也承诺拨款 194 万英镑。由于部分承诺的款项尚未到账，两家机构借了一笔低息贷款来完成购买。

The land includes hills, wild moorland, valley woods, a river and farm fields. The charities hope to increase species that already live there, such as red squirrels and mountain bumblebees. Mike Pratt, who leads Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said water voles might be brought back, and he hoped to see more curlews, a kind of bird. In the long term, the estate could become the centre of a 65-kilometre nature corridor running from the coast to the Scottish border.

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这片土地包括山丘、荒野、山谷树林、一条河流和农田。机构希望增加已经生活在这里的物种数量，例如红松鼠和山地熊蜂。诺森伯兰野生动物信托负责人 Mike Pratt 说，或许可以让水䶄重新回到这里，他也希望看到更多杓鹬（一种鸟）。从长远看，这片庄园可能成为一条 65 公里长的自然走廊的中心，这条走廊从海岸一直延伸到苏格兰边境。

Local volunteers have already started work. Some walk for miles through tall plants to set up machines that record the sounds of bats and small animals. Soon they will count earthworms, which can show how healthy the soil is.

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当地志愿者已经开始工作。有些人穿过高高的植物步行好几英里，去安装记录蝙蝠和小动物声音的设备。不久后，他们还将统计蚯蚓数量，这可以反映土壤的健康状况。

However, not everyone is pleased. The estate includes 12 working farms, and some farmers have called the plan a foolish idea. A local Conservative councillor said farmers were worried about food production, changes to traditional ways of managing land, and whether their businesses could still make money. Pratt said the trust had been working closely with farmers and wanted to show that a place can have lots of wildlife and still support a productive business.

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不过，并不是所有人都满意。庄园里有 12 个仍在经营的农场，一些农民称这个计划是愚蠢的想法。一位当地保守党议员说，农民担心粮食生产、传统土地管理方式的改变，以及他们的生意能否继续赚钱。Pratt 说，信托一直与农民密切合作，希望证明一个地方既能拥有大量野生动物，也能维持有生产力的经营。

Pratt believes people gave money because the project “represents hope”. Whether it can balance nature and farming will become clear only as the work begins.

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Pratt 认为，人们之所以捐款，是因为这个项目“代表着希望”。它能否在自然与农业之间取得平衡，只有在工作开始后才能看清。

新闻来源

• The Wildlife Trusts · Future of The Rothbury Estate secured for nature and the nation (30 Oct 2026)
• The Guardian · Wildlife Trusts hit £30m target to buy and rewild huge Northumberland estate (30 Oct 2026)
• AFP · Charity crowdfunds millions to buy historic English estate (30 Oct 2026)
• Northumberland Gazette · Wildlife charities buy The Rothbury Estate after £30m fundraising campaign (30 Oct 2026)

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