There is a very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander, the great Greek king. Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. So, he lay helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, “I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail.”

    “My first desire is that，” said Alexander, “My physicians alone must carry my coffin.” After a pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn(撒满) with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected.” The king continued, “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept hanging out of my coffin.” Alexander's favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “Oh King, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes？”

     At this Alexander took a deep breath and said, “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let people not take life for granted.

      The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a bit of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is just a waste of time to chase wealth.

       And about my third wish of having my hands hanging out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty－handed into this world and empty－handed I go out of this world.” With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last.

               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.