Cycling does the body good. New data from Tour de France cyclists finds that those athletes live an average of six years longer compared with their counterparts in the general population and die less often from heart-related ailments, damping concern…

Buying real estate involves weighing a lot of factors: location, price . . . smell? Some condo developers are betting that the best way to a buyer's heart is through the nose. The latest sales tools are signature scents designed to enhance a buyer's…

Mistrust between U.S. and Malaysian air-accident investigators has hampered a multinational probe into the jetliner that went missing three weeks ago, people familiar with the investigation said, with no clear leads emerging about who or what was res…

The default background for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system -- a perfect blue sky full of cotton-candy clouds above rolling hills with impeccably trimmed grass and daffodils -- is the spring day we wish could last forever. rolling hills:起伏群山  …

Like many 10-year-olds, Nick Wald takes private lessons. His once-a-week tutor isn't helping him with piano scales or Spanish conjugations, but teaching him how to code. Nick, a fifth-grader in New York, went in with no experience and has since learn…

Some drink only vegetable juice. Others soak in Epsom salts. It's all in the pursuit of ridding the body of months or years of accumulated toxins, said to be the cause of fat, fatigue, diabetes, memory problems and countless other conditions. soak in…

Is your desktop or laptop computer starting to feel a little poky? Even after just a few months of use, your PC or Mac may start to lose steam thanks to a fragmented hard drive, too many programs running in the background, or even a rogue piece of ma…

What the world needs now is a Web-enabled toothbrush. That part is clear to several oral-hygiene companies. What they can't agree on is who was first to put teeth into the smartphone. The giant Procter & Gamble Co. last week demonstrated what it call…

It's a common scenario: You have an odd pain for weeks or are feeling too tired lately. So you head to a doctor, who may run a test or two. But no clear cause for the symptom shows up. Despite a dizzying array of high-tech medical tests, the reality…

Chinese author Lao Ma has a simple approach to his short stories: In the face of life, everything is funny. Mr. Lao, the pen name of Renmin University of China professor Ma Junjie, says there are plenty of laughable things in daily life that fuel his…

When her husband died of cancer 10 years ago, Becky Aikman says she experienced grief and adapted to her loss -- but not in the way some people seemed to expect. proactive:有前瞻性的,主动地 About a year after his death, when Ms. Aikman felt it was time to st…

AS AUTO MAKERS ADD far-out features to the latest cars at warp speed--everything from futuristic heads-up displays to simple perks like hands-free calling--the appeal of the newest showroom tech can be hard to resist. But a car, unlike a smartphone,…

The problem: Every night, your workaholic boss is still glued to the computer when you need to leave. How to go home without looking like a slacker? slacker:懒鬼 Should you sneak out, hoping to avoid a six o'clock showdown in the hall? Guiltily apologi…

Daifailluh al-Bugami was just a year old when his parents noticed that his lips turned blue as he slept at night. It was his weight, doctors said, putting pressure on his delicate airways. delicate:精致的,微妙的,易碎的 Now Daifailluh is 3, and at 61 pounds he…

"I used to think I was this made man," says entrepreneur Glenn Kelman. "That's what they tell you after you take a company public." In 1996 Mr. Kelman co-founded Plumtree, a business-software firm that went public in 2002. After that,…

Nelson Mandela, who rose from militant antiapartheid activist to become the unifying president of a democratic South Africa and a global symbol of racial reconciliation, died at his Johannesburg home following a lengthy stay at a Pretoria hospital, t…

Last month's Third Plenum meeting of Chinese leaders seemed to signal Beijing's intention to experiment with more economic and financial freedom. Leaders now acknowledge the old model of cheap inputs—inexpensive labor, low-cost capital for state-owne…

SHANGHAI—Trading volume in China's bond market has plummeted in recent months, in another reminder of how the country's shifting interest-rate environment has taken a toll on a once fast-expanding financial sector. bond market:债券市场          plummet:骤…

Despite some hype and a few regional exceptions, the construction of office towers and suburban office parks has not made a significant resurgence in the current recovery. After a century in which office space expanded nationally with every uptick in…

BEIJING—China's family-planning agency is projecting a slow rollout for an easing of its one-child policy, underscoring reluctance by the government in moving too quickly to let some couples have two children and a law in place for decades. rollout:首…

The casino billboards lining America's roadways tantalize with the lure of riches. 'Easy Street. It's Only a Play Away,' screams one in Arizona. '$7.1 Million Every Day. We're a Payout Machine,' reads another. casino:赌场,俱乐部 lining:内层,衬套 tantalize:逗弄,…

A new worker's revolution is rising in China and it doesn't involve humans. With soaring wages and an aging population, electronics factory managers say the day is approaching when robotic workers will replace people on the Chinese factory floor. A n…

For the record number of American runners who completed an official race event last year, the questions often start not long after they cross the finish line: 'What's my next challenge?' and 'How much further can I push myself?' But data show that th…

By reducing the activity of one type of gene, scientists said they increased the average life span of mice by about 20%, a feat that in human terms is akin to extending life by about 15 years. manipulation:操作,处理 akin to:同类,近似 Moreover, the researcher…

First baijiu, then red carpets, and now mooncakes. For Chinese government officials, the list of taboos keeps getting longer. austerity:紧缩,严厉,朴素 taboo:禁忌,禁止 One month before the country celebrates its annual Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese authorities s…

You've probably heard the baleful reports. The number of college students majoring in the humanities is plummeting, according to a big study released last month by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The news has provoked a flood of high-minded…

CAOFEIDIAN, China  $91 billion industrial project here, mired in debt and unfulfilled promise, suggests part of the reason why China's economy is wobbling and why it will be hard to turn around. mire:陷于,泥潭 unfulfilled:未得到满足的,缺口 wobbling:摆动,颤动 The ste…

It's a familiar scenario in many households: Hours after dinner, the stomach growls and the refrigerator beckons. Some diet experts suggest bedtime snacking leads to weight gain and poor-quality sleep. But is it always a no-no? One registered dietiti…

Why is the first day on the job often the worst? New employees tend to be greeted with stacks of benefits paperwork, technology hassles and dull presentations about company culture. hassle:激战,争辩,麻烦事 But some companies -- hoping to create a first impr…

The typical honeymoon doesn't last too long before the hard work of marriage begins. And so it normally is with new corporate chief executives and their shareholders. Lucky for Marissa Mayer, as well as Yahoo shareholders, growth at Alibaba Group is…