Getting young minds into design
A) Recently, a leading design federation in the UK warned that the UK could face a creative skills shortage, after the latest figures revealed a drop of almost 10 percent in students studying Design and Technology. These figures showed that the number of pupils that sat exams in Design and technology fell 10 percent from 204,788 to 185,279 last year.
B) Chief executive John Kampfher of the Creative Industries Federation thinks that this drop in figures has worrying implications for the skills pipeline in Britain's hugely successful arts and creative industries. He said, “We already have skills shortages in many jobs such as animation (动画制作)and special effects." He added: '"Engineering, which requires a similar mix of creative and technical skills, also has recruitment problems."
C) Many other designers and architects have expressed concern over the future supply of home-grown talent for UK firms, and industry bodies have pointed out that there has been a lack o f roots-level support. However, if these designers had visited the Design Museum shop in London earlier this year their fears may have been eased. With £10 to spend, they could have bought a fascinating children's toy called “Dazzle Racer”. An automotive cylinder (圆柱体)， it included a wind-up, elastic (有弹，性的)-band-powered mechanism, minimal parts, all 100 percent recycled, and lots of stickers. It was good fun, simple, eye-catching and very original.
D) Well, you'd expect the Design Museum to commission and make some interesting items, but this one was different. Designed by a group of six Year 9 and Year 10 boys from Finchley Catholic High School, the toy was the winning entry in the museum 's 2015 Design Ventura competition, which brings the business o f design to life for students aged 13 to 16 by challenging them to develop a new creative, sustainable and commercially feasible product for the Design Museum shop and attracts hundreds of entries nationwide.
E) “We did Design Ventura in my previous s c h o o l,s a y s Liam Hourican, Finchley Catholic High School's design technology curriculum leader. u Then when I changed schools four years ago, I introduced it here because it helps to develop so many skills.^"
F) The theme for last year's competition was “Move"，and Hourican began with three groups working in lunch breaks and after school before selecting the group with the most innovative idea. Each participating school may submit just one proposal. It's the taking part and doing the work which is important,he says. "And I never dreamt we'd win."
G) Catherine Ritman Smith, head of learning at the Design Museum, is expecting around 10,000 participants aged 13 to 16 to take part this year and says that the project- funded by Deutsche Bank as part of its youth engagement programme Bom To Be—— is the biggest event in the museum's calendar. u We started Design Ventura with around 800 young people in 2010 and it has grown steadily since,“ she says. "Teachers like it because the skills are all transferable and it helps to validate the value of design as a subject/5 she explains, telling me that nearly 600 schools have taken part so far.
H) So how does the competition work? A single-word theme is announced in the summer. This year it is “Change”. Schools work with groups to produce imaginative design ideas for a product in simple materials that could sell for £10 in the Design Museum shop. Participating schools then register by November and eventually submit their design idea. Along the way there is training and support for teachers and tutoring for students from designers. An additional bonus is when the winners see their design on sale in the spring of the following year.
I) Hourican and his pupils have happy memories of spending a whole day at the museum, having been selected as one of 10 shortlisted schools to present their idea to a panel of judges, including designer Jasper Conran. Then they worked with the Kin Design Studio in Shoreditch, met designers at their school and attended a lunch with Deutsche Bank employees. The students helped to make decisions and there were plenty of discussions- they changed the products name, for example.
J) “One of the really useful things about this competition," says Hourican, " is that there 5s a commercial element because the product is going on sale for real and the boys had to learn about budgeting and marketing, as well as designing their game.^^ Profits go to charity. "The winning team chooses where it wants the profits to go," says Ritman Smith. u The Finchley Catholic High School product raised about £1,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital? Winning entries in past years have included a make-your-own cloth kit called Dove Bunting and a threefold, wallet-sized travel game with goals at each end, called Badoiiing.
K) It costs the schools nothing to participate in Design Ventura; the professional designers provide their services for free. Among them are architect Asif Khan, a Design Museum trustee who has worked as designer-in- residence at the museum, helping emerging architects. He has recently been commissioned to design the new Museum of London building in Smithfield.
L) Another is television presenter and interior designer Naomi Cleaver, who is one o f the competition's judges. 'T m very keen to encourage young people/5 she says, observing that design brings together other subjects such as literature, art, history, geography and science. u Now that design education is limited in the curriculum, I'm all in favour of competitions such as Design Ventura, which helps to bring the standard curriculum to life,“ says Cleaver. "And the judging day is terrific fun. Some of these students are very imaginative. One group presented their idea in the form of a puppet show and we see some marvelous demonstration models. I'm always impressed by the levels of confidence and the support the students get from their teachers.
M) Ritman Smith adds: "Design technology has become a tricky subject to make a case for, and we've heard of departments closing in some schools. We find that if pupils take part in Design Ventura in Year Nine it can be the trigger which leads them to opt for it at general Certificate of Secondary Education, so we are helping to keep alive something which is crucial to industry and entrepreneurship."
36. During the course of preparing for Design Ventura, teachers receive training and support while students get tutoring from designers.
37. A visit to the Design Museum shop in London can reduce the designers' fears about the future supply of talents educated in Britain.
38. One of Design Ventura's judges says the competition adds vigour to the standard curriculum in schools.
39. Enrollment in Design and Technology decreased by nearly ten percent last year in the UK.
40. Participation of ninth graders in Design Ventura can motivate them to choose design technology as their subject.
41. Design Ventura is welcomed by teachers because it helps to prove the worth of design as a school subject.
42. The schools don't have to pay anything to take part in the Design Ventura competition.
43. Participants in Design Ventura are challenged to create sustainable and marketable products.
44. Students benefit from Design Ventura because they can learn about budgeting and marketing in addition to game design.
45. according to an officer of the Creative Industries Federation, there is difficulty now in recruiting engineers in the UK.
答案解析：
由题干中的关键词“teachers receive training and support while students get tutoring from designers”定位到H段。H段提到“Along the way there is training and support for teachers and tutoring for students from designers.”，意思是在准备Design Ventura竞赛的过程中，教师会得到培训和支持，学生会得到设计师的辅导，所以选H。
由题干中的关键词“A visit to the Design Museum shop in London”和“reduce the designers' fears about the future supply of talents”定位到C段。C段提到“However, if these designers had visited the Design Museum shop in London earlier this year their fears may have been eased.”，即参观伦敦的设计博物馆商店可以减轻设计师们对英国本土培养人才未来供应的担忧，所以选C。
由题干中的关键词“one of Design Ventura's judges”和“adds vigour to the standard curriculum in schools”定位到L段。L段中评委Naomi Cleaver说“Now that design education is limited in the curriculum, I'm all in favour of competitions such as Design Ventura, which helps to bring the standard curriculum to life”，表明这个竞赛给学校的标准课程增添了活力，所以选L。
由题干中的关键词“Enrollment in Design and Technology decreased by nearly ten percent last year in the UK”定位到A段。A段提到“These figures showed that the number of pupils that sat exams in Design and Technology fell 10 percent from 204,788 to 185,279 last year.”，说明去年英国设计和技术专业的学生人数下降了近10%，所以选A。
由题干中的关键词“Participation of ninth graders in Design Ventura”和“motivate them to choose design technology as their subject”定位到M段。M段提到“We find that if pupils take part in Design Ventura in Year Nine it can be the trigger which leads them to opt for it at General Certificate of Secondary Education”，即九年级学生参加Design Ventura可以激励他们在普通中等教育证书考试中选择设计技术专业，所以选M。
由题干中的关键词“Design Ventura is welcomed by teachers”和“helps to prove the worth of design as a school subject”定位到G段。G段提到“Teachers like it because the skills are all transferable and it helps to validate the value of design as a subject”，说明Design Ventura受教师欢迎是因为它有助于证明设计作为一门学科的价值，所以选G。
由题干中的关键词“The schools don't have to pay anything”和“take part in the Design Ventura competition”定位到K段。K段提到“It costs the schools nothing to participate in Design Ventura”，即学校参加Design Ventura竞赛无需支付任何费用，所以选K。
由题干中的关键词“Participants in Design Ventura are challenged to create sustainable and marketable products”定位到D段。D段提到“which brings the business of design to life for students aged 13 to 16 by challenging them to develop a new creative, sustainable and commercially feasible product for the Design Museum shop”，表明参赛者被要求创造出可持续且具有商业可行性的产品，所以选D。
由题干中的关键词“Students benefit from Design Ventura”和“learn about budgeting and marketing in addition to game design”定位到J段。J段提到“there's a commercial element because the product is going on sale for real and the boys had to learn about budgeting and marketing, as well as designing their game”，说明学生除了游戏设计还能从Design Ventura中学到预算和营销知识，所以选J。
由题干中的关键词“an officer of the Creative Industries Federation”和“difficulty now in recruiting engineers in the UK”定位到B段。B段中Creative Industries Federation的首席执行官John Kampfher说“Engineering, which requires a similar mix of creative and technical skills, also has recruitment problems.”，表明英国目前在招聘工程师方面存在困难，所以选B。
