Passage Three

　　Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents�� home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款臺(tái)), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

　　I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend�餾 home. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

　　I wrote him and his wife a thank—you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

　　Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I�餯 left the lights on all day, and the battery(電池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership—a shop selling cars was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

　　“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?” I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

　　“Thank you” two powerful words. They�餽e easy to say and mean so much.

　　() 46.The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City.

　　A.to visit a friend

　　B.to see his parents

　　C.to pay at the cash register

　　D.to have more gas for his car

　　() 47.The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “”.

　　A.turned offB.moved offC.put up

　　D.set up

　　() 48.What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

　　A.He had it pulled back to the gas station.

　　B.The couple sent him a business card.

　　C.The couple offered to help him.

　　D.He called his friend for help.

　　() 49.The battery of the author�餾 car was dead because.

　　A.something went wrong with the lights

　　B.the meeting lasted a whole day

　　C.he forgot to turn off the lights

　　D.he drove too long a distance

　　() 50.By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show.

　　A.how to write a thank-you letter

　　B.how to deal with car problems

　　C.the kind-heartedness of older people

　　D.the importance of expressing thanks