Many years ago, when I was first out of school and working in Danver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Messouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Okiahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register（收款台）, I said hello to an old 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 after, 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’d left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池) was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford shop(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.

57. 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

58. The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “___________ ”

A. turned off       B.moved off    C. put up     D. set up

59. What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

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

B.The couples sent him a business card.

C. The couple offered to help him.

D. He called his friend for help.

60.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 kindheartedness of old people    D. the importance of expressing thanks