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[2023·Ì«Ô­ÊиßÈýÆÚÄ©]I was invited to give a speech at a conference on education. I happened to sit next to Clay Parker, the CEO of a technology company that makes micro electronics devices.

For the last few years, I'd been reading about the rapidly changing world of work and was increasingly concerned that students are not prepared for today's workplace. Buried in book knowledge, university students talk like a book and always pass exams with flying colours.  However,  when facing HR staff instead of their teachers, what they have learned seems useless. So I asked Parker what qualities he most wanted in a potential new employee. I expected a list of technical skills—especially since Parker is an engineer himself—but I was way off__the__mark.

“First, I look for someone who asks good questions£¬”Parker responded.  “Our business is changing, and so are the skills of our engineers. We can teach them the technical stuff. But for employees willing to solve problems or to learn new things, they have to know what questions to ask. And we can't teach them how to ask good questions—how to think.  The ability to ask the right questions reflects good thinking ability, the most important quality.”

Indeed, the ability to ask good questions has been a repeated theme in almost all of my conversations about core competences and skills for success in today's workplace. It turns out that asking good questions goes hand in hand with the problem solving ability in the minds of most employers.

The students have always been brought up to live up to a certain standard and so much emphasis has been put on fixed rules and giving the expected answer of their teachers instead of raising a question. We teachers are always blaming the students for giving wrong answers. Perhaps we  should ask ourselves whether we are always asking the right questions.

1£®Why did the author ask Parker the question?

A£®To bring the CEO's attention to education.

B£®To collect information about his company.

C£®To ask for his opinion about the conference.

D£®To know his requirements for new employees.

2£®What does the underlined words “off the mark” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A£®Mistaken.    B£®Not qualified.

C£®Confused.    D£®Not professional.

3£®What does Parker value his employees for?

A£®Teamwork.

B£®Thinking ability.

C£®Technical skills.

D£®Professional knowledge.

4£®Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A£®How to Hunt for a Job

B£®Asking Questions Matters

C£®An Encounter with a CEO

D£®Problem­solving Makes a Difference