VOA慢速英语2016 谷歌航班新推出预测机票票价变化的工具

New Google Flights Tool Tells When Airfare Prices May Change 谷歌航班新推出预测机票票价变化的工具

The cost of airplane flights is often the biggest expense of travel. Airfares can be expensive and budgeting for them can be difficult. Prices change often so it is not easy to know which flight is best. And there can be extra charges for baggage.

机票费用通常是旅行中最大的开支。飞机票价通常很高，对飞机票价进行预算也绝非易事。票价经常变化，因为很难知道哪班航班最合适。此外，可能还会收取额外的行李费。

The process is even more complex for family travel.

这个过程对家庭旅行来说更是复杂。

Now, the online search service Google Flights has a new tool to help you find the best airfares and plan your next trip.The service can let you know when the price for a flight is going to end.It can alert¹ you when prices are expected to rise.Google Flights now compares airfares to historical price data for similar flights.

目前，在线搜索服务器“谷歌航班”推出新工具帮助您锁定最经济的票价，并帮您规划下次航班。该服务器将告知您这个价格什么时候会发生变化。票价升高时，您将收到信号。目前，谷歌航班会将目前票价与该航班之前的票价进行对比。

To use this new tool, go to the Google Flights website.

如果您想使用该工具，请到谷歌航班网页。

You can search for flights by date, airport, number of stops, flight class and number of passengers.Google Flights will highlight² in green the flights it thinks are the best choices, based on price, flight times and number of stops.

您可以根据日期、机场、停靠站数量、坐席等级以及乘客数量进行搜索。谷歌航班将会根据价钱、飞行时间以及停靠站数量将最佳选择标成绿色。

After you choose a flight, you may also see a note about when the price is set to end.Google Flights may also suggest you book as soon as possible if prices are expected to rise soon.

选择一个航班之后，你可以看到一个提示告知当前票价能够维持到何时。如果票价很快就会上涨，那么谷歌航班还会提醒您尽快预定机票。

This tool only works³ when a flight’s historical data is available.The information may be able to show you how much time you have to book a flight before the price changes.

只有存有该航班历史数据时，才可以使用该工具。提供的信息将能够向您展示，票价发生变化之前，您究竟有多长时间预定机票。

Search results include a “Track Prices” option.You can turn the option on to receive emails about price changes and travel tips.Google Flights lets you choose Track Prices even if you have not yet purchased your tickets nor chosen a flight.

搜索结果包括“追踪票价”选项。你可以点击此按钮，随后便会收到有关票价变化以及旅游小贴士的邮件。即使你还没有订票或选择航班，您也可以通过谷歌航班点击票价跟踪。

You can manage your tracked flights and change the search fields, such as number of passengers, airports, dates and more.

你可以对自己选择的航班进行管理，变换搜索对象，比如乘客数量、机场以及日期等。

Google Flights will e-mail you if there is a considerable⁴ change in airfares for your saved flights.

如果你保存的航班票价发生变化，你就会收到谷歌航班发来的邮件。

Google Flights also has other tools to help you compare airfares.It provides a calendar with flight prices listed every day.You can see flight prices listed by date so you can choose an economical⁵ time to fly.

谷歌航班还有其他工具，供您对票价进行对比。它每天都将提供标有票价信息的日历。你可以查看每日的票价，以便选择最经济的航班。

You can also see airfares on a bar graph⁶ to compare prices easily.

通过柱状图很容易就能够对票价进行对比。

Google Flights also shows airfares on a map to help you decide where to go.

谷歌航班还能在地图上显示票价，帮您决定去向。

You may see a tip at the top of the results,advising that you could save money by flying on a different date or from a different airport.

搜索结果的顶端可能会有温馨提示，建议您可以改变飞行日期或者换到不同的机场会更加省钱。

Words in This Story

airfare - n. the money a person pays to travel on an airplane

expensive - adj. costing a lot of money

alert - v. to make (someone) aware of something

manage - v. to have control of something

1 alert   

adj.机警的，活泼的，机灵的；vt.使...警觉

参考例句：

• Drivers must be on the alert for traffic signals.驾驶员必须密切注意交通信号。
• The rabbIt'seems to be very alert all its life.兔子似乎一生都小心翼翼，十分警觉。

2 highlight   

n.加亮区；v.加亮，强调；[计算机]醒目

参考例句：

• Her performance was the highlight of the show.她的表演是那场演出中最精彩的部分。
• The highlight of this term is the school trip to Austria.这学期最重要的活动就是去奥地利的校外旅行。

3 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

4 considerable   

a.相当多的，相当大的，相当重要的

参考例句：

• He saved the child at considerable risk to himself. 他冒着极大的生命危险救了那个孩子。
• The flood resulted in a considerable reduction in production. 这次水灾造成相当大的减产。

5 economical   

adj.节约的，节俭的；经济学的；经济上的

参考例句：

• The state has paced the whole nation in the economical reform.这个州在经济改革中走在了全国的前列。
• Coke is an economical fuel but it leaves a lot of ash.焦炭是一种很经济的燃料,可是燃烧后剩下很多灰。

6 graph   

n.图表，图解，曲线图

参考例句：

• Such a graph is defined to be a contact network.我们把这样的图定义为一个接触网络。
• Our soundings are displayed in the form of a graph.我们的调查结果已用图表列出。