Joe was driving home one evening.Ever since the Levis factory closed

,he’d been unemployed，and with winter raging on the chill had finally hit home.Most of his friends had already left the Midwestern town,but he stayed on.After all,he was born here.

It was getting dark and light snow was coming down.He almost didn’t see the old lady,but in the dim light of day,he could see she needed help.He pulled up in front of her car and got out.

Even with a smile on his face,she was worried.Was he going to hurt her？He didn’t look safe;he looked poor and hungry.Joe knew how she felt and said to her,“I’m here to help you,ma’am.Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm.”She had a flat tire and Joe set about replacing it immediately.All this put the woman at ease.She then rolled down her window and began to talk to him，telling him that she was from St.Louis and was only passing through.Then the thankful woman asked Joe how much she owed him.But Joe told her that he had been given a hand in the past and if she wished to pay him back,she could give the money to someone who needed her help next time.

A few miles down the road the lady went into a small café.A waitress brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.The waitress was nearly eight months pregnant,but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude.The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.When the waitress came back to give the lady her change from a hundred dollar bill,she found a message on a napkin：“Take this.Someone once helped me out the way I’m helping you now.If you really want to pay me back，here’s what you can do. Don’t let the chain of love end with you.”

That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed，the waitress was thinking about what the lady had written.How could the lady have known that she and her husband needed the money？With the baby due next month,it was going to be hard.Knowing how worried her husband was,she whispered soft and low to him，“Everything’s gonna be alright，I love you，Joe.”

1. Many of Joe’ s friends left because. ()

(A). it was too cold there

(B). it was a lonely town

(C). they had lost their jobs

(D). they were not born there

2. The woman was worried because. ()

(A). she had been attacked

(B). she was poor and hungry

(C). no one offered to help her

(D). she was afraid of Joe’ s looks

3. Joe refused to be paid by the woman because. ()

(A). he did not need the money at all

(B). others had helped him in the past

(C). the woman appeared to be pitiable

(D). it was not difficult to replace a flat tire

4. Which of the following is probably true？ ()

(A). The woman left the cafe when the waitress was getting her change.

(B). The woman knew who the waitress was and decided to help her out.

(C). Joe told the woman that his wife worked in a small cafe not far away.

(D). Joe knew that the woman would go into the cafe and meet the waitress.

5. The best title for the passage is. ()

(A). Acts of Kindness

(B). Sympathetic Hearts

(C). A Lonely Country Road

(D). A Woman from St.Louis