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 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, 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’s. 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 holiday 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’d left the lights on all day, and the battery 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’re easy to say and mean so much.
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 |
The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean ______.
A.turned off | B.moved off | C.put up | D.set up |
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. |
The battery of the author’s 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 |
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 |