How do you cope with being illiterate?

George:

I've lost a lot of ........................... and I've been turned ........................... for a lot of good jobs, jobs I could probably do as well as a ........................... graduate, but I just didn't have the ............................ They're ........................... for education because for one ........................... today, even if you are a janitor, there's still ........................... and ........................... involved. Like, if they leave a ........................... saying, "Go to ........................... so-and-so, this and that", you ........................... do it. You ........................... read it. You don't ............................ And they ain't going to ........................... somebody to run along and ........................... people what to ............................

Jacky:

I have two ...........................; What do I do if one of my kids ........................... choking and I go running to the ...........................? Nine times out of ..........................., I can't look up the ........................... number of the ............................ That's if we're at ............................ Like if we're out on the ..........................., nine times out of ten I can't ........................... the street. If I should get to a pay ..........................., and they say, "Okay, tell us where you are, we'll ........................... an ambulance." I look at the street ............................ Right there, I couldn't tell you what the ........................... was, I'd have to spell it ........................... for ............................ By that time, one of my kids could be ............................ These are the kinds of fears you go with every ........................... day of your ..........................., and you can't ........................... anybody.

Wendy:

I've never really read a ............................ Maybe some day I can. With recipes, I just look at them and I know what the ........................... say. I ........................... sometimes I could understand them ............................ Once in a while, with recipes, I give up and get ........................... and put it to one side. Different things that I was trying to ........................... that didn't come out ..........................., I'd throw them out. And I'd try them ............................ Mostly, I just ........................... how to cook things. But it would be ........................... to sit down and read a book.

Jenny:

the only real ........................... it brings up is reading to the ............................ I can't read to them, and, ..........................., that's leaving them out of something they should ............................ It bothers you if you cant 'read, and if you cant' read to your boys, it bothers you ............................ Oh, it matters, you believe it ...........................! I ordered all these books. The kids belong to a book ..........................., they got them that way. They know I can't read because it made me feel ........................... one day. Donny wanted me to read a book to ........................... and Matthew, and I told Donny, I said, "I can't read". "Well", he said, "..........................., you sit down and I'll read it to you". Donny does ........................... on reading. I tried it one day reading from the ..........................., and Donny looked at me and he said, "Mommy, that's not ............................" And he's only ..........................., so he knew I couldn't read from the pictures.

Lee:

I never ........................... to read. The ........................... thing about it is I've been places where I didn't know where I was. If you don't know ........................... you are, and you can't read something, you're ............................ It sure ain't no ........................... to be lost. I never ........................... anybody I couldn't read. I'd have to tell them I can't do it. Have to tell them my ............................

Alison:

Once I got stuck and I had to fill out some ..........................., and nobody was ........................... me. I was by ..........................., and I just told the ..........................., "Gee, I can't do it", and he said "I can't do it for you, you'll have to do it ...........................", and I said, "I can't". Then I broke down ............................ Really, it bothered me, and I was so ........................... over it.

Wes:

The ..........................., I'm glad you brought that one up. Okay, imagine, if you will, you're taking a ........................... out to the ............................ You sit down and the ........................... the menu in front of you. Where do you ........................... from there if you can't read the menu? You say, "Go ..........................., here, pick out something for the ........................... of us". I've ........................... some weird things, let me tell you! If you're double-dating, if there's ........................... people, that enhances the problem even more. What you do is, you're the ........................... one to open the menu, because I ........................... read it if given enough time. By the time they get to ..........................., I'm ready to ............................

Vocabulary

accroître

appartenir

bizarre

ce n'est pas marrant

chercher (dans un livre, dictionnaire, etc.)

choisir

commander (passer commande)

de temps en temps

embaucher

ennuyer / raser / embêter

épeler

être coincé

fondre en larme

j'avais une drôle d'impression

je laisse tomber

je m'énerve

le gars

mentionner / évoquer

mince / bon sang! (= Jesus!)

ne pas leur apporter / donner

refuser

remplir (des papiers)

se débrouille

s'étouffer / s'étrangler

sortir à deux couples

un concierge (GB caretaker)

un diplômé

un mot / un message

un panneau

une recette (de cuisine)