The science fiction type of entertainment is considered by mot to be fathered by Jules Verne (A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) and H. G. Wells (The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds). Sei-Fi, as it is commonly shortened, is a fictional story in which science and technology have a significant influence on the characters and plot. Many such works are guesswork about what the future holds and how scientific findings and technological advances will shape humankind.

    Writing in the late 1800s, Jules Verne was remarkably successful in his 10 guesses about future technologies of air conditioning, automobiles, the Internet, television, and underwater, air, and space travel. Unbelievably, of all places from which to choose, Jules Verne guessed Tampa, Florida, USA as the launching site of the first project to the Moon, which was only 200 kilometers away from the actual 1969 location at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

    One of the best-known science fiction books is Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Published in 1949, it was not meant as a prediction, but as a warning: Orwell was describing what he saw as the outcome of the ideas, trends, and emerging technologies of his time. Many invented terms from this novel have become common in everyday use, such as “big brother” and “doublethink”. Even the author's name has been made into an adjective—Orwellian—and has become a warning descriptor for situations where privacy is lost and the individual has no power and is completely controlled by the government. Nineteen Eighty-Four was translated into sixty-five languages within five years of its publication, setting a record that still stands.

    What helps bring science fiction into being is usually a new discovery or innovation. The author creates an analysis of the potential influence and consequences and then wraps it in a pleasant story. For example, the beginning of space exploration was followed a few years later by the Star Trek television program and movie series. The science fiction author's self-determined role is search the world of future possibilities upon the road which we are traveling.

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    I was at a dinner in London given in honor of one of the most celebrated English military (军事的)men of his time. I do not want to tell you his real name and titles. I will just call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby.

    I cannot describe my excitement when I saw this great and famous man. There he sat, the man himself, in person, all covered with medals. I could not take my eyes off him. He seemed to show the true mark of greatness. His fame had no effect on him. The hundreds of eyes watching him, the admiration of so many people, did not seem to make any difference to him.

    Next to me sat a clergyman(牧师), who was an old friend of mine. He was not always a clergyman. During the first half of his life he was a teacher in the military school at Woolwich. There was a strange look in his eye as he turned to me and said in a low voice-"privately-he is a complete fool." He meant, of course, the hero of our dinner.

    This came as a shock to me. I looked hard at my friend. I could not have been more surprised if he had said the same thing about Napoleon, or Socrates, or Solomon. But I was sure of two things about the clergyman. He always spoke the truth. And, his judgment of men was good. Therefore, I wanted to find out more about our hero as soon as I could.

    Some days later I got a chance to talk with the clergyman, and he told me more.

    Not all of George H.W. Bush's extended family members were invited to his Washington D.C. memorial service.

    Nearly a week after many paid their respects at the Washington National Cathedral, Sharon Bush, who was married to the 41st president's son Neil from 1980 to 2003, told Page Six that she was allegedly unable to attend the funeral after she was told by her ex-husband's secretary that there were not enough seats.

    "I was going to take the train down. I wanted to pay my respects. But I paid my respects by raising three wonderful children during a 23-year marriage," Sharon told the Outlet.

    Neil and Sharon share three children: son Pierce and daughters Ashley and Lauren Bush Lauren, who gave a reading at the funeral, where the father of three attended with his second wife Maria Andrews, whom he wed in 2004.

    While the D.C. memorial service was taking place, Sharon recalled having lunch with Lady Gaga's mother Cynthia Germanotta and publishing heiress Anne Hearst.

    Though she was snubbed from the funeral, Sharon shared photos on Instagram to honor her former father-in-law. "My girls Lauren and Ashley read scriptures at their grandfather's funeral. I feel so proud of them. May he RIP." The mother of three captioned a photo of Lauren and Ashley.

    "May he RIP," Sharon also posted on Instagram, speaking of their children's upbringing. Sharon credited herself for raising them to be charitable and public servants. "I taught them everything they know about 'points of light' by taking them to soup kitchens and homeless shelters from the time they were 4 years old. I didn't want them spoiled," she said, referencing the public service nonprofit — Points of Light, for which her ex-husband serves as chairman of the board of directors. "I did this. Neil was never around. He was always traveling," Sharon added.

    When we are young we are taught that it's wrong to lie and we should always tell the truth. Unfortunately, most children lie even if they're told not to. Research carried out at the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University has shown that this might not be such a bad thing. Apparently (显然地), children who tell lies when they're two years old have a good chance of becoming successful adults (成年人).

    According to the research, at the age of two, 20 percent of children lie. At the age of three, 50 percent lie, and at four almost 90 percent lie. By the age of 12 almost every child tells lies.

    Lying needs much brain work. And the better the lie is, the more work the brain has to do. By training the brain early, researchers believe children will be able to think more clearly when they are adults.

    Recent research, carried out by the Science Museum in London, has shown some interesting facts about the way we lie as adults. According to the research, the average British man tells three lies every day, that's over 1,000 lies a year. However, the average woman apparently only lies twice a day.

    Most people think women are better liars (说谎者) than men although in fact they tell fewer lies. Popular women's lies include 'Nothing's wrong, I'm fine', 'I don't know where it is, I haven't touched it', and 'It wasn't that expensive'.

    Some people say you can lie as long as it's a white lie. A white lie is a lie told to avoid hurting someone's feelings. One of the most common lies for both men and women is 'It's just what I've always wanted', said after opening a present from their partner.

I've had many opportunities to experience living in a foreign culture, but my first experience came in an unexpected place—my own country. When I was 20, I got an internship (实习职位) in New York City. It was my first time to 1 outside of my home state of Texas.

With my move north came culture 2 . I grew up in a big city in Texas. But it was no comparison to the tightly 3 New York with their 8 million citizens. I was used to life at a 4 pace; New York moved fast. The saying is true—this city never 5 . I had to adjust.

My first reaction was fear. Fear I would 6 at my new internship in the 54-storey office building. Fear of getting lost on the subway. Fear that the locals wouldn't have 7 for my frequent moments of confusion. My 8 ranged from reasonable to silly. But I 9 my fears and kept trying.

I learned quickly never to 10 a New Yorker always speaks English. New York is home to people of all walks of life, from all corners of the world. At weekends, I would spend hours 11 along Canal Street in Chinatown—the closest I'd ever been to an 12 country.

By the end of my internship, I was a little older, a little wiser and sick of big city life. I 13 the skyscrapers, tourists and the high price I had to pay for a cheeseburger and fries. But I had 14 , too. I was quicker, smarter and more independent. I knew I would miss that feeling of having the world right at my doorstep. But it was good 15 for the life of travel I'd soon begin.

Robots have long been drawing inspiration from animals, with the creation of robot dogs or snake-shaped robots. And yet, the field of robotics is far less enthusiastic about the other kind of living things—plants. Barbara Mazzolai, an Italian roboticist owes this to a misconception about plant behavior: that they cannot move or think. "It's not true at all," she says. To challenge this view, Dr Mazzolai and her team recently launched a machine called "FiloBot", a robot based on a climbing species.

To survive, a climbing plant must switch between several different behaviors. In forest environments, it must first grow out of the soil and travel along the ground in search of a support to hold onto, such as a nearby tree. Once a support is located, though, the plant fixes itself around the object and then growing towards the light. To choose the best angle to grow upwards, a climbing plant uses its shoots(芽) to receive information about light and gravity.

FiloBot has sensors on its main shoot. It can 3D-print its body with plastic and grow at a controllable rate. These functions researchers found, enabled FiloBot to cross gaps, and find things to attach to. The lack of heavy on-board computing device means that it is light and requires minimal care, while its slow pace means that it doesn't disturb things around it, making it possible to move through a complex, unseen environment, or monitoring disaster sites.

For now, FiloBot is still being tested. Its tendrils(卷须) have not left the laboratory. Still, it has already been employed in deconstructing plant behaviour. For example, it was long assumed that climbing plants find their supports by growing towards shade, though the exact mechanism was unclear. FiloBot could imitate this behaviour by detecting far-red light, which is typical of shaded areas, providing clues to how plants do it.

Dr Mazzolai hopes that such projects will inspire other roboticists to take their cues from plants and develop completely new technologies.