Recently, a study was carried out to determine who was the greatest American president. Sixty­five presidential historians took part in it, and they judged the past forty­four American leaders based on ten leadership qualities, including public persuasiveness(信服), crisis leadership, management of the economy, moral leadership, and conduct of international relations. The historians also looked at administrative ability(管理能力), relations with Congress, ability to set goals, and the pursuit of equal justice for all. Finally, the experts took into consideration the historical period in which the president lived.

       The historians chose Abraham Lincoln as American's greatest president. He had also been named the greatest president in a similar study in 2000. Abraham Lincoln was the president who led the nation through the Civil War in the 1860s, and was able to unite it in the end. He also took the first steps to abolish(废除) slavery in America.

       Edna Medford, a professor of history at Howard University in Washington, D．C., was an adviser on this study and the earlier one. She says Abraham Lincoln is seen to represent the values the nation most honours, such as truthfulness, moderation, and respect for human rights.

       The historians put American's first president, George Washington, second on the list, while Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry S. Truman follow in that order. John F. Kennedy, the country's first Roman Catholic president, is sixth on the list. Like Lincoln, Kennedy was murdered while in office.

       Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan was named the tenth best and Bill Clinton rated fifteenth, while the historians put former president George W. Bush at number thirty­six. His father, George H．W. Bush, did much better, being placed at number eighteen.

—Through one of your colleagues.                                   

               There are simple ways to organize and clean sports gear (设备). It just takes a little extraeffort, along with some tricks. Here are some tips.

Organizing sports gear

           For children playing different sports, have gym bags in different colors for eachsport—basketball gets green, soccer gets red, baseball gets blue. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} As forwhat to do with the soccer ball or baseball bat that comes home, keep itemscontained to one spot in the garage. Overhead shelves and nets work well forout－of－season items, too. They are out of theway but still in sight.

Cleaning sports gear

        Most  items can go in the washing machine. Use warm water, and always air－dry. For padded items with plastic,put them in a mesh laundry washing bag or a pillow case with a zipper. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

●Gym bags

{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's body odor. You played soccer, or basketball, or fencing, and you sweat.Prevent odor from building up by putting used fabric softener sheets in thebag, or spraying the inside of the bag with aerosol deodorant. This also workswell for padded helmets, where sweat gathers.

●Water bottles

           Wate rbottles often get a moldy, damp smell after a sports season or two. If you havereally cleaned it, if you've used a scrub brush, you may have scratched theplastic. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Try using vinegar, which is safe and environmentally friendly, tokill mold and mildew.

●Hats

         The   easiest way to clean a baseball cap is to put it in the dishwasher. Then takeit out and air－dryit. If you want to make sure the cap keeps a rounded shape, dry it over acoffee can. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Another option is to use shampoo, which is designed to breakdown body oil.

a．As we all know, they smell.

b．It's necessary to clean a sport gearafter every practice.

c．You can also put it on a blown－up balloon.

d．This protects the machine, and theequipment from getting scratched.

e．Those tiny little scratches are wherebacteria can get, and cause that smell.

f．Don't let children stuff clothing intheir bags.

g．So when they're rushing from oneactivity to the next, it's easy to grab the correct gear.