Men See Things Differently from Women

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. literally (adv.) [lit-er-uh-lee] – emphasizing that something actually happened or is true

Example:  He literally dropped to the floor laughing.

2. distinguish (v.) [dih-sting-gwish] – to know the difference between two or more things

Example: The man was color blind and could not distinguish between the colors red and green.

3. shade (n.) [sheyd] – a color that is a little bit different (lighter of darker) but of the same basic color

Example: There are many shades of red: pink, salmon, maroon, and ruby. 

4. focus (v.) [foh-kuh s] – to give one’s attention to something

Example:  Most painters focus on small details of their work.

5. hormones (n.) [hawr-mohn] – chemical of the body

Example: The female hormone, estrogen, is responsible for the female’s body shape.

Article
Read the text below.

Men and women literally see things differently, according to a study published in the Biology of Sex Differences. The lead author of the study, Israel Abramov, from the City University of New York, said many researches in the past have concluded that women have a better sense of smell than men. Women generally can distinguish the differences between smells much better than men. But what about the sense of sight? Abramov and his team did a research to find out the differences between male and female vision. After studying volunteers —all above the age of 16 and with normal vision—the researchers learned that  males generally saw colors differently from females. In one test to identify differences in color, men required longer wavelengths, or stronger coloration, in order to see certain shades. On the other hand, women were better able to distinguish small differences in shades. When it came to a test for sensing movement, however, men were better at seeing fine details and fast moving objects. Abramov suggests that these differences in vision may be due to male hormones [HAWR-mown], such as testosterone [tes-TOS-tuh-rohn]. While a baby is still in the mother’s womb, testosterone influences the way the baby’s brain develops, making brain connections that are different from those in the female brain. Other studies have also noted differences in the way men and women focus. During conversations, men focus more on the talking person’s mouth. Men are also easily distracted by movement behind the person to whom they are talking. Women, in contrast, focus more on the talking person’s eyes and body, and are distracted by other people and not just movement.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

·         Do you agree with some of the points mentioned in the article based on your experience?

·         In what other ways do you think males and females are naturally different?

Discussion B

·         What are activities that you believe males can do better? What activities can females do better? Please explain your answers.

·         Do you think people’s gender sometimes limits or stops people from doing activities they like? What makes you say so?

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