James T. Green thought he was having a panic attack.

He took a break from work to walk around the block during a stressful day, and noticed he felt out of breath climbing up a small hill. That wasn’t normal, Green thought. He had become a regular biker in recent months and wasn’t exactly out of shape. He sat down at his desk, and looked at the Apple Watch on his wrist. His heart rate was through the roof, and the Heart Watch app he was using to check his pulse was flashing warnings. Maybe it was something more serious, he thought.

Although he had blood clots（血栓）in his lungs a few years back, he had been taking medication, and doctors said that it was an unusual condition for someone in their mid-20s. Still, the symptoms this time were much less severe, and he was feeling stressed, so his mind didn’t automatically jump to blood clots. Green’s doctor told him it sounded like anxiety. But then he showed her his heart rate recorded by the Apple Watch.

“This is my normal heart rate,” Green told her, pointing to the graph in the app. “This is where my heart is now. There’s something wrong.”

The doctor ordered a CT scan. The blood clots in his left lung had returned. An ambulance rushed Green to the emergency room, where he was pumped full of blood thinners（血液稀释剂）. He didn’t need surgery this time, but doctors told him that if he had waited, a clot could have killed him.

Green isn’t the only person who has discovered a serious health condition after seeing heart-rate data on a smartwatch. And he won’t be the last. Currently, smartwatches from Apple and others can tell you your heart rate and track your workouts. But these companies want to go beyond the basics by developing ways to tell you when something is wrong. In fact, it’s already happening.

   Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.

Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through various websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.

“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog. com.

Harriet Levy paid $ 179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $ 215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $ 317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $ 169 to $ 360.

“There’s no reason for it,” Harrison said.

Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $ 755 to $ 1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, and then fell to $ 718 on Sunday.

The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press（美国联合通讯社）followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.

There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:

● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.

● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are the highest when tickets are booked eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.

● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive（专有的）sales to travelers who interact（交流）with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.

● The so-called discount airlines — JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier — adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” That’s one of the best-known old 【小题1】（say） in English. It means other places often look beer, more interesting than the place 【小题2】 you live.

Troubles in life are sure 【小题3】（appear）if we always think that way. We will not be able to see the goodness of our own lives, 【小题4】（believe）that we have nothing good to work with. We’ll lose focus, self-confidence, and even hope. We might feel sad and 【小题5】（anxiety）, feeling that what we have cannot ever be enough. 【小题6】（bad）still, it leads us to turn away from the main task of life — to make the most of what we have.

In fact the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. It only appears that way. The grass is the greenest where it 【小题7】（water）. When crossing over fences, carry water 【小题8】 you and take good care of the grass. The way to happiness is 【小题9】（actual）quite simple — the secret is to learn to value what you have 【小题10】 not to envy what you don’t have.

Ways to Say “Happy Birthday to Me”

Whether you’re celebrating alone or with friends or family, take time for gratitude and joy on your special day.

Tomorrow is my birthday — and I’m at an age when not everyone looks forward to cake and presents. 【小题1】. It always makes me feel excited to be alive, grateful for my life and family, mind and body. Some birthdays are more openly celebrated than others, but I have found that even if your birthday is a regular day at work or at home, there are some easy ways to raise it to a special occasion.

【小题2】

They say it’s better to give than to receive, and while everyone loves to open a birthday present, there’s a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous to others. Making a birthday donation to a charity that means something to you — this year I will donate to the Sierra Club — is a great way to make your values known to the world around you. 【小题3】

Try something new

Today you are starting a new loop（圈）around the sun. Why not embrace（欣然接受）the newness of the moment? Dipping your toes into some new waters, 【小题4】, signing up for an adult education class, going for a walk in a park new to you, planning a new trip — do something that reminds you that your life is an unfolding story.

【小题5】

Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, an outing or a party with friends and family, take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life. If you use social media like phones, you’re likely filled with wishes from the loved ones. Use these as a jumping-off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support you in your journey toward being your best self.

Last summer I had chance to visit Paris. That attracted me most was the Eiffel Tower, which has became a symbol of France. I was deep impressed by its height. I had never seen such a tall building before! It is made of iron and it is about 10,000 tons in weight. There are 1,665 steps from the bottom to the top. Climb the tower made me very tired, and I was very excited. I took a lot of photo in Paris.

I have much memories and experiences to share with. I am so lucky to have seen such a culture so different from my own. I would remember my trip to France forever!