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Child Consultants{{/B}} These days, "what do you want to do when you grow up?" is the wrong question to ask children in the USA. The{{U}} (51) {{/U}}should be: "what job are you doing now?" American companies are employing more and more young people as consultants to evaluate products for child{{U}} (52) {{/U}}. The 12-to-19{{U}} (53) {{/U}}group spends more than $100 billion a year in the USA. Specialist agencies have been created to help manufacturers ask kids about all the latest trends in clothes, food and{{U}} (54) {{/U}}markets. One{{U}} (55) {{/U}}, Teenage Research Unlimited, has panels (评判小组 ) of teenagers who give their verdict (裁决) on products'{{U}} (56) {{/U}}jeans (牛仔裤). Another company, Doyle Research Associated, holds two-hour sessions in a room{{U}} (57) {{/U}}the "imaginarium (想象室)." Children are encouraged to play games to get{{U}} (58) {{/U}}a creative mood. They have to write down any ideas that{{U}} (59) {{/U}}into their heads. Some manufacturers prefer to do their own{{U}} (60) {{/U}}research. The software company Microsoft runs a weekly "Kid's Council" at its headquarters in Seattle,{{U}} (61) {{/U}}a panel of school children give their verdict on the{{U}} (62) {{/U}}products and suggest new ones. One 11-year-old, Andrew Cooledge, told them that they should make more computer games which would appeal equally{{U}} (63) {{/U}}boys and girls. Payments for the work are increasingly attractive. Andrew Cooledge was paid $250 and given some software.{{U}} (64) {{/U}}, even if their ideas are valuable, the children will never make a fortune. They cannot have the copyright to their ideas. These are not jobs they can hold for long.{{U}} (65) {{U}}their mid-teens they can be told that they are too old.{{/U}}{{/U}} |