The following vocabulary is provided to help you better understand the documentary Meet the Homeless Americans Living in Walmart Parking Lots produced by SBS Dateline.
At the end of the section, there will be a little quiz you can take to see how much you have remembered.
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take advantage – to take an opportunity and make something good out of it
Joe, is one of tens of thousands of people taking advantage of a little publicized Walmart policy allowing travelers to pull up in their carparks and stay the night for free.
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Social Security – the name of a fund that workers pay into so that they are protected if they are injured on the job.
(He is)…Unable to get Social Security
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from all walks of life – every part of society
Walmart communities like this one are attracting Americans from all walks of life
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to be intrigued by – to be very interested by something
This professional photographer is so intrigued by the Walmart phenomenon
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out of necessity – because you have to do it
You know, you have people there who are there out of necessity.
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out of convenience – because it is easy to do
And you have people who are there out of convenience.
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to be stuck in a rut – to be in a situation you cannot get out of
Paul is not the only one stuck in a rut.
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to flee, fled, fled – to have to leave a place quickly because it is dangerous
Michelle and Brandon say they fled California worried that they would lose custody of their baby.
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swelling numbers – an increasing amount
Local charity worker, Richard DuPris, has been watching the swelling numbers of Walmart’s homeless.
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a taker – (here) someone who takes an offer
Do you get many takers?
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aspiring- wanting to become
Liz is an aspiring actress.
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ain’t – colloquial for “am not,” “are not,” or “is not.”
I ain’t getting no younger out here.
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food-stamps – pieces of paper given to people so that they can buy food
Joe is surviving on food-stamps.
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to get hooked – to not be able to stop doing something because it makes you feel good
Well, I kind of got hooked after a while.
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likely – the chances are good that something will happen
and he is likely to lose the car in weeks…