A few months ago I was having breakfast in downtown Washington. I couldn’t help but overhear a casual job interview happening at the table next to me. The interviewer owned a government contracting business. He was looking to hire a person to help write proposals to federal agencies. Near the end of the conversation, the interviewer complained about how difficult it is to find good writers these days. The two men talked about their college experiences and how they learned to write. I was a math major," the interviewer said, "but the biggest differentiator in business now is good writing."

He’s not alone in his opinion. According to national surveys, employers want to hire college graduates who can write coherently, think creatively, and analyze quantitative data. But the surveys show that writing skill is one of the biggest gaps in workplace readiness.

That’s why so many employers now explicitly ask for writing and communication skills in their job advertisements. An analysis found that writing and communication are the most essential job requirements across nearly every industry. They are even required in fields such as information technology and engineering.

Joseph R. Teller, an English professor, wrote, "My students can’t write a clear sentence to save their lives, and I’ve had it. In 10 years of teaching writing, I have experimented with different assignments, activities, readings, approaches to commenting on student work?—?you name it?—?all to help students write coherent articles that someone would actually want to read. And as anyone who keeps up with trends in higher education knows, such efforts largely fail."

6.What can we learn about the relationship between the author and the interviewer from the first paragraph?

A. The author is the interviewee.

B. The author does not know the interviewer.

C. The author is the interviewer’s friend.

D. None of the above.

7. Why did the interviewer want to hire someone who’s good at writing?

A. He was a math major and he was good at writing.

B. He needed someone to help write proposals to federal agencies.

C. Many college graduates did not have good writing skills.

D. He liked writing.

8. According to the passage, what kind of job applicants are popular among employers?

A. Those who have good writing skills.

B. Those who know how to handle data.

C. Those who can do creative thinking.

D. All of the above.

9. What industries are likely to request good communication skills?

A. Government contracting business.

B. Information technology and engineering.

C. Nearly every industry.

D. Education.

10. In the last paragraph, what did the English professor mean when he said,"…I’ve had it"?

A. He’s disappointed at it.?????B. He is indifferent to it.

C. He’s happy with it.?????D. He’s fine with it.