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.

   I would love to be happier，as I'm sure most people would，so I think it will be interesting to find some ways to become a happier person.

1. Exercise more

Exercise has such a deep effect on our happiness and well-being that it's actually been proven to be an effective strategy（策略）for overcoming depression. 【小题1】 It can also improve your body image，even if you don't lose any weight.

2. Sleep more

We know that sleep helps our bodies to recover from the day and repair themselves，and that it helps us focus and be more productive. 【小题2】

3. Spend time with friends and family

【小题3】Several studies have found that time spent with friends and family makes a big difference to how happy we feel. Almost all the other things that we think make us happy are actually just ways of getting more families and friends.

4. Go outside

Spend time in the fresh air to improve your happiness. 【小题4】 One study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only improved our positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory.

5. Help others

To make yourself feel happier, you should help others. Spending money on other people makes us happier than buying stuff for ourselves. 【小题5】 A study of volunteering showed that volunteers were affected and felt unhappy when their opportunities to help others were taken away.

Why you shouldn't punish your kids for lying

Getting your children to stop lying is challenging. There are many influences（TV，movies and video games）in which lies are common. Children see parents lie to others，if only to be polite. Most parents add to that with tales about the lives and activities of Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. 【小题1】

The most common reactions to children who lie are explaining why it is wrong and punishments. 【小题2】 Here are three better tools supported by research to use instead.

Give praise: You could ask your child to say something that happened at school that is true. When your child obeys, praise him enthusiastically. Be specific. 【小题3】 and give your child a hug or a high five. Aim for one or two interactions（互动）like this a day. If you happen to "catch" your child in a lie，say something like，“That is not true and could get you in trouble outside of the home.”

Act as a model: Explicitly（明确地）tell the truth. This could be about something that happened when you were a child or something that happened during the day. It need not be dramatic. Another option is to play a game at dinner. Each person tells one thing that was true that day. Again，give a little praise to the child who normally lies if she plays along.

Decrease punishments and moralizing（说教）：They are unlikely to change behavior or develop the conduct you want. 【小题4】 Rather，use very mild punishments（light scolding，short loss of privileges，a brief timeout）. More severe punishments（shouting，taking away something for a week，hitting）are not more effective in actually changing the frequency of lying.

【小题5】 Usually they can be dropped by then. It is unlikely that lying will be completely removed，but with the right encouragement，it can be dramatically lessened.

   How To Learn English Effectively

Have you ever tried to study English, but it turned out it’s too difficult for you? Well, let me tell you that the language is easy once you keep in mind these golden rules:

▲ Always study and review phrases, not individual words.

Did somebody give you a dictionary when you started learning your native language as a child? No? Then why do you keep using it when studying a foreign language? Memorizing individual words has absolutely no sense without the context. 【小题1】

▲ Don’t study grammar.

When you start thinking about what construction to use, you begin to stammer, stop sounding natural. Your responses should become automatic to master the language, so instead of studying theory – take more practice! When you speak, you don't have time for considering what tense is appropriate, one hundred percent correct. 【小题2】 Grammar is important in writing, not in speaking.

▲【小题3】

One of the most common mistakes when studying a foreign language is relying solely on textbooks. Thanks to them you may know a lot of grammar and vocabulary, but you're still not capable of conducting a conversation. It is because you should learn English by listening and not by reading. If you listen more, you'll grasp useful vocabulary and grammar without even realizing it and without memorizing!

▲ Learn English deeply.

Remember it's always about quality, not about quantity. 【小题4】 When memorizing the phrases (remember the first rule!) slowly, you put them into the deeper parts of your brain so they don't fade away quickly.

▲ Listen and answer, not listen and repeat.

【小题5】If you practice listening with a podcast or a video, pause it every 20 – 30 second and summarize what has been said. You have to think quickly, so you stop bothering yourself with useless grammar and start to speak the real, living language!

   What's holding you back from having the life or career you want？The answer for over 50%of people is fear. This can turn up in a variety of ways from doubt，worry，and anxiety. Maybe you've been told negatives（否定）and put-downs over and over again by other people. 【小题1】 It's completely normal to be afraid in these situations，but you have a choice in how you let those thoughts shape your actions.

【小题2】 What's at the root of it？Where do these thoughts come from？Really dig through the layers of the story you are telling yourself and find the reason. It's possible that this belief was given to you by someone else and you've just been accepting it as true.

Create a support system. While you are working，at meetings，or building a business，who is supporting you？Many people believe they are fine with "go it alone"，and don't need help. The reality is that most people who try to do everything on their own，waste a lot of time，and end up feeling burnt out. 【小题3】

Dare to dream. What are your dreams？【小题4】 In fact，all of our modern conveniences: electricity，cars，airplanes，and computers were once dreams. Imagine if those inventors held back because of what other people thought about them.

【小题5】 Understanding where a negative belief comes from helps you move through the fear. Then you can start taking measures that help you achieve your goals. This sounds simple, but in fact it can be the hardest part. Knowing something on an intellectual level isn't the same as putting it into practice. If you want any help around this, consider working with a coach.