VOA标准英语2010年-Adult Illiteracy Threatens Nashville E

One in four American adults cannot read or write well enough to function on the job and in everyday life

Faiza Elmasry | Washington, DC 04 May 2010
Volunteer tutors at the Nashville Adult Literacy Council work individually with adult learners.

One in four American adults cannot read or write well enough to function on the job and in everyday life.

Government surveys indicate that a quarter of American adults are, what is termed, functionally¹ illiterate². That puts them at a disadvantage in an economy that's increasingly knowledge-based.

A number of concerned groups in Nashville, Tennessee are joining forces to fight adult illiteracy⁴ and boost economic development in the city.

Hidden shame

Joe Buford runs his own painting company in Nashville, Tennessee.

Before that, the 63 year old spent 25 years at a shipping⁵ company. None of his coworkers knew he was hiding a serious problem.

"Nobody there on the job knew I couldn't read," he says. "I was shipping stuff all over, everywhere throughout Tennessee and out of state, but when I ran into something I didn't understand and I needed somebody to tell me something, I would call my wife at home and would spell whatever words I needed to know and she would tell me what it was."

According to the Chamber⁶ of Commerce, one in eight Nashville residents over the age of 16 cannot read.

Buford dropped out of high school, and admits he wasn't focused on his education before that. For years, he says, he hid his inability to read because he was ashamed.

"I just felt like everybody else went off and left me and it looked like I was the only one in the United States who couldn't read," he says. "Ninety percent of my friends are college graduates, from doctors to school teachers and nurses. I always felt bad when I was in their midst. I just didn't feel worthy⁷."

Facing fears

But six years ago, he decided⁸ to face his fear and learn to read. He turned to the Nashville Adult Literacy Council for help.

"I'm able now to read my mail and to know what's coming in. I don't have to hide anymore," he says. "It just made me feel very proud of myself. It kind of opened different doors for me."

Meg Nugent is executive director of the Nashville Adult Literacy Council. "It takes a very large act of courage on the part of our adult learners to come forward to ask for our help," she says. "Many times, of course, they think they are the only one with this problem."

Volunteer tutors with the nonprofit group work individually with adult learners. Nugent says asking for that help requires overcoming years of shame and self doubt.

"We've had learners say they didn't make the appointment and instead, they were driving around the block, too scared to come in," she says. "We've actually had grown, burly men crying at the enrollment¹⁰ process because they are just so terrified."

Economic impact

These days, Nugent sees more adults showing up at the literacy center.

"We believe the economy is making that happen. Basically when people lose their jobs or have a job issue, that's one of the biggest reasons they come to enroll⁹ in our program," she says. "Whereas, maybe in the past, they didn't feel they needed to or they weren't willing to come forward."

Illiteracy has become a serious economic problem, according to Howard Gentry¹¹, head of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce's Public Benefit Foundation. He points to a new study, commissioned by a local retail¹² company, that calls for more attention to the issue.

"One in eight Nashvillians over the age of 16 — 52,000 Nashvillians — cannot read. Then we have 63,000 of adults 25 years and over [who] don't have a high school diploma," he says. "So, not only is it a quality of life issue for the individual, it's also an economic development issue for the city and the region because jobs require individuals to be literate³."

Gentry says 22,000 middle level jobs requiring a college education will open up in Nashville over the next 10 years. That would translate into a 2,200-person shortage to fill those middle-level jobs.

Howard Gentry, of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce's Public Benefit Foundation, says illiteracy plays a role in socioeconomic problems like poverty and homelessness.
Finding solutions

The Public Benefit Foundation is focused on finding solutions to socio-economic problems like poverty, homelessness and workforce¹³ development. Illiteracy, Gentry says, plays a role in all those problems.

Despite the variety of groups providing adult literacy classes, he says a more comprehensive approach is needed for the training to be effective. 

"It would be great, through a coordinated¹⁴ effort, to be able to know which agencies and which organizations provide the literacy training for the different levels, so we can put people in their [appropriate] circumstances," he says. "The other thing is that we have to make sure that we are accessible."

That means ensuring there is adequate public transportation to get people to those programs. And that's not all. "We need to provide childcare for those who have issues around having their children taken care of while they are being trained. So there are a lot of wrap-around services," says Gentry.

By sharing their experiences, graduates of adult learning programs — like Joe Buford — are inspiring and encouraging others. Now a member of the Nashville Adult Literacy Council's board, Buford actively¹⁵ promotes adult education.

"I know it takes a lot to admit when you have a problem with anything but don't wait as long as I did," he says."Start early. It's going to change everything in your life."

That's the first step, he says, towards self improvement and more opportunities in work and life.
 

1 functionally   

adv.机能上地，官能地

参考例句：

• Objective To explore occlusion reconstruction by computer aided design (CAD) with functionally-generated pathway (FGP). 目的探索借助功能性？记录(functionally-generated pathway,FGP)技术进行口腔固定修复体计算机辅助设计(Computer aided Design,CAD)生理性建？的方法。 来自互联网
• In this respect, the proceeding was functionally similar to a comparative licensing adjudication. 在这一点上，手续在作用上即类似于比较许可证发放的裁断。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

2 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

3 literate   

n.学者；adj.精通文学的，受过教育的

参考例句：

• Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
• A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。

4 illiteracy   

n.文盲

参考例句：

• It is encouraging to read that illiteracy is declining.从读报中了解文盲情况正在好转，这是令人鼓舞的。
• We must do away with illiteracy.我们必须扫除文盲。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

10 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

11 gentry   

n.绅士阶级，上层阶级

参考例句：

• Landed income was the true measure of the gentry.来自土地的收入是衡量是否士绅阶层的真正标准。
• Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry.宁做自由民之首，不居贵族之末。

12 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

13 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

14 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。