I believe that one of the best ways to connect with people and build quality relationships is making conversations. Although most people can hold a conversation, only a few are smooth when they talk. I have discovered five simple and effective ways to be a smooth talker. Here they are：

       Talk slowly.

       Generally, good talkers don't rush into a conversation. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}They act as if they had all the time in the world. This makes them  come off as centred and collected. Model this way of talking and you will create the same effect.

       Hold more eye contact.

       Most people keep eye contact about 2/3 of the time or less when they talk.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}This will convey confidence and interest in interacting with them.

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       People with good conversation skills tend to notice the kind of things that the average person doesn't notice, and to bring such details into the conversation. They may notice and point out an interesting ring on the other person's hand, a certain foreign accent, or a certain voice tone they use when saying a name. Thus, such individuals impress people in a very elegant manner.

       Express your emotions.

       {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Express your feelings about those facts. Keep in mind that it is at the emotional level that people connect best.

       Use the best words.

       The ability to talk smoothly has a lot to do with choosing the precise words to convey your precise feelings or thoughts.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} It will help you develop a way with words and allow you to express yourself more easily.

       Conversational skills don't improve just like that. It takes time, practice and the ability to learn at a rapid rate from your own experiences.

A  Don't just present the facts. You're not a newspaper.

B  It's a very good idea to hold eye contact just a bit more than that.

C  Notice the details.

D  It is important to improve conversational skills.

E  Offer interesting news.

F  They take their time when they reflect on something and when they say it out loud.

G  Develop your vocabulary and practise communicating as accurately as possible.

               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.