Whether you love happy endings or a dark reality in TV dramas,you could soon be able to decide what you get. Netflix,the TV-streaming company behind hit shows such as The Crown and House Of Cards,is working on ways to give viewers control of key plot decisions.

    Some of the storylines will be simple and linear,like the Choose Your Own Adventure books that many grew up with.For example,viewers might decide whether a prisoner in the drama Orange Is The New Black joins a gang (黑帮) or not.

    The technology could also potentially be used to allow Princess Margaret to marry Peter Townsend in The Crown,instead of having her relationship with the divorcee (离婚者) blocked by the Establishment.Other storylines will be much more complex,allowing viewers to connect plot points in a variety of ways using their TV remotes.

    A source said,"We're doing work on branch narratives (叙事) so you are actually making choices as you watch. All the content will be there,and then people will have to get through it in different ways.We'll see how it plays out. It's an experiment.We'll see if it gets much success.For creators,it's a new field."

    Actors would film numerous alternate plot segments (片段) in advance,letting viewers choose which route to take through the story.Netflix will run a trial with choose-your-own-adventure shows for children later this year, based on an established character.If they are successful,it will use the format for TV programmes aimed at adults. Netflix president Reed Hastings confirmed that the company is working on interactive shows,saying,"Once you have got interactivity,you can try anything."

    At least five million UK households are thought to be signed up to Netflix,and it is challenging traditional broadcasters.Earlier this year,BBC boss Lord Hall promised to reinvent the iPlayer so that it overtakes Netflix as a destination in its own right,rather than a catch-up service.

    You may think that sailing is a difficult sport, but it is really not hard to learn. You do not need to be strong. But you need to be quick. And you need to understand a few basic rules about the wind.

    First, you must ask yourself, “Where is the wind coming from? Is it coming from ahead or behind or from the side?” You must think about this all the time on the boat. The wind direction tells you what to do with the sail.

    Let's start with the wind blowing from the behind. This means the wind and the boat are going in the same direction. Then you must always keep the sail outside the boat. It should be at a 90° angle to the boat. Then it will catch the wind best.

    If the wind is blowing from the side, it is blowing across the boat. In this case, you must keep the sail half way outside the boat. It should be at a 45°angle to the boat. It needs to be out far enough to catch the wind, but it shouldn't flap(摆动). It shouldn't look like on a flagpole. If it is flapping, it is probably out too far, and the boat will slow down.

    Sailing into the wind is not possible. If you try, the sail will flap and the boat will stop. You may want to go in that direction. It is possible, but you can't go in a straight line. You must go first in one direction and then in another. This is called tacking. When you're tacking, you must always keep the sail inside the boat.

    Americans think that everything we British people say sounds smart. We think that they sound low-class, but secretly we think they sound cool. These are just stereotypes about British and American English, but there is some truth in them.

    What is certainly true is that the differences between British and American English continue to interest us.

    When the US was only around 20 years old, people were already saying that British accents sounded more intelligent, according to Erin Moor's book. That's Not English: Britishisms, Americanisms, and What Our English Says About Us.

    However, there are many different accents in Britain—Moor says the UK may have just as many regional accents as the US, even though the population is around one-fifth the size. In the UK, accents are much more related to class, but to many Americans, even an accent that British people think is “low class” is thought of as intelligent and superior, according to MPR News.

    American slang has been part of British people's vocabulary for a long time—the amount of American television, movies and music enjoyed in the UK means that British people have been using words like “cool” and “awesome” for years now. But sometimes words from the UK make it to the US—like “gobsmacked”.

    “Gobsmacked” started as slang (俚语) from northern England. “Gob” means mouth, so the word means “surprised as if someone smacked (掌掴) you in the mouth”. Reality television brought it to the US, Moor said. When the singer Susan Boyle became famous for her unlikely great singing voice on the show Britain's Got Talent, she used it all the time. “I'm gobsmacked,” she repeated, and it got popular.

    “Americans love a colourful piece of slang as much as anyone else,” said Moor. And this is just one example of how Britons and Americans can leave each other “gobsmacked” with their different types of English!

    If you are in Dubai you may notice a robot police officer sharing the street with you. Your first thought might be, “Have I walked into a movie set？”

    The answer is no. That robot is Dubai's newest police officer. The robot has a touch screen instead of a gun. The robot will be employed mostly at shopping centers and other places popular with visitors.

    The robot's face has eyes but no mouth or nose. It stands 165 centimeters tall and weighs 100 kilograms. If the robot works well, Dubai says 25 percent of its police force could be robots by 2030. The robot cop(巡警) was officially presented at Dubai's Gulf Information and Security Expo and Conference in May.

    The police hope the robot will make life easier for the people of Dubai. Khalid Al Razooqi is Director General of Smart Services at the Dubai Police. He said the robot can help the public every day, and that “it won't ask for any sick leave”.

    The robot cannot make arrests (逮捕). But it can recognize faces and compare them to photographs on a criminal database. It can also sense emotions. People can use the robot's touch screen to do things like reporting a crime, paying fines and reporting lost or found things. They can also ask how to get somewhere. The robot can greet and shake hands with people. So far, the robot can speak Arabic and English. It soon will learn other languages such as Russian, Chinese, French and Spanish. In addition to having a touch screen, the robot has a camera that can live stream video to a police command center.

    Dubai has plans to add other kinds of robots to its police force. Within two years, the city plans to use a three meter tall robot that can run up to 80 kilometers an hour. The Dubai government says the machine would be the world's largest robot. A human police officer will be able to sit inside and control the robot. It will be able to lift heavy objects.

    The city also plans to use an egg shaped robot to control parking areas and give tickets to people who break traffic laws.

    Most heroes are not super. They don't appear in comic books, on television, or in movies. They just do what they believe needs to be done to make their world a better place. Bike Batman is one of them.

    Bike Batman is a 30-year-old married engineer who lives in Seattle, Washington. He's a cyclist who also buys and sells bikes as a hobby.

    About three years ago, he was looking for a bike for his wife. He found one on Craigslist, a website where people list things they want to sell. As he often does, he also looked at Bike Index, a popular website that allows users to register their bikes and post reports when they're taken. The bike, which he was considering purchasing, clearly matched one reported stolen on Bike Index.

    Then he called the person who claimed to be the bike's owner and arranged to meet him— supposedly to complete the sale. When the two men met, Bike Batman told the thief, “You've got two options. You can wait until a police officer gets here, or you can just get out of here.” You can imagine what the thief did.

    After that first success, Bike Batman developed a safer routine. When he sees questionable bike ads on Craigslist, he cross-references the image with bikes reported on Bike Index. Once he has confirmed it with the owner, he arranges a meet-up with the thief and will call the Seattle police department so that officers can participate in the action. In more than half of the 22 cases in which he has got back and returned bikes, the thieves have been arrested. In one case, Bike Batman even helped a family recover a wide range of prized possessions that suspects had stolen during a home burglary.

    His nickname came from a discussion with a police officer who suggested he be called “Robin Hood”. Since he wasn't exactly stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, “Batman” seemed a better fit. The idea of a superhero punishing criminals feels pretty silly to him, but the main reason he continues his work is to keep up Seattle's reputation as a friendly city.

    Here are some best sellers of 2018 at Amazon.

    The car

    Fourteen-year-old Terry's parents never pay him much attention. So when they both disappear after one of their all-too-frequent arguments, Terry isn't exactly eager for them to come home. On his own, he fixes an abandoned car. Though he doesn't know much about driving, he gets behind the wheel and heads west, with the intention of visiting an uncle in Oregon. It's an exciting and sometimes dangerous journey. Along the way, he learns a lot about people, about America——and most importantly, about himself.

    The Running Dream

    Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident.

    As she struggles to cope with her prosthesis(义肢)and many other difficulties, Jessica develops a close relationship with Rosa, a girl who has a cancer and sees right into Jessica's heart.

    With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her teammates, Jessica is able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

    Have a New Teenager by Friday

    Do you know this person?

    His bedroom looks like a garbage dump.

    She changes clothes three times before breakfast.

    It seems that he／she never agrees with you.

    Congratulations! You have a teenager in your home. But you needn't feel helpless. In fact, you're just five days away from your teenager asking.“ What can I do to help?” Internationally recognized family expert Dr. Kevin Leman will help you get real results—really fast.

    Boy Robot

    Seventeen-year-old Isaak discovers the truth about his origin: a government—made human. But a deadly military force is trying to kill him. He and the other Robots can only find protection from the Underground—a secret network of Robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future. Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death or to embrace his true nature in order to survive.

    If you are interested in any of the books, click here for further information:

    https://www.amazon.com/.