Animals can move from place to place, but plants cannot. When an animal is under attack, it can run away or fight back. Plants certainly cannot run away. But plants can protect themselves by using physical or chemical means.

Some plants have physical ways to keep animals away. For example, the leaves of the holly plant have sharp spines (刺) that discourage grass-eating animals. Its lower leaves have more spines than upper leaves. This is because the lower leaves are easier for most animals to reach. Oak trees have thick and hard leaves that are difficult for animals to eat. Some grasses may have a sandy material and eating such grasses wears down the animals’ teeth.

Many plants also have chemical ways to protect themselves. Some plants produce chemicals that taste bitter or cause an unpleasant reaction. Some plants may fight against an attack by increasing the production of these chemicals. When a caterpillar (毛虫) bites a tobacco(烟草) leaf, the leaf produces a chemical messenger. This messenger sends to the roots the information to produce more nicotine(尼古丁). The higher levels of nicotine discourage the caterpillar from eating it. A single experience with this kind of plant will teach an animal to stay away from it in the future.

There is no doubt that the hottest topic all over the world recently is connected to an AI chatbot called ChatGPT. From writing Shakespeare-style poetry to making music, ChatGPT has taken the Internet by storm, winning over 100 million users since it came out in November 2022.

Developed by the US company OpenAI, it can translate languages, talk with people and write songs, poems and even jokes. It’s one of the most powerful AI of its kind, with the complete writing skills of a real person! People around the world have tried ChatGPT and posted their results on social media. Some used it to write history reports, some asked it to take notes of presentations, and some even used it to generate advice on how to communicate with people at a party.

However, some schools in the US, Australia and France have banned (禁止) the use of ChatGPT. In the US, for example, New York City public schools banned students and teachers from using ChatGPT on the local networks and computers, CNN reported. The reason is that the tool could make it easier for students to cheat on homework. Some also worry that ChatGPT could be used to spread improper information. “It does not build critical-thinking(批判性思维) and problem-solving skills, which are necessary for academic (学术的) and lifelong success,” said Jenna Lyle, a secretary of the New York City Department of Education.

In all, it’s too soon to say what kind of influence ChatGPT will have on our lives. Let’s hope that its effects are mostly positive, if ChatGPT does become bigger and more popular. So what do you think?

a. It can make up jokes.

b. It can post messages on social media.

c. It can produce tools.

d. It can write history reports.