Same planet, different worlds



Have you ever heard a seemingly normal woman saying something like, "I don't know what I do to turn
men off. I seem to push them away. Maybe I'm too demanding, or not demanding enough. Men are so
confusing."

And it could be that very same day that you hear a seemingly normal man, unrelated to the first
woman, complaining: ‘I don't get women. I must be doing something wrong. Women are so hard to
understand."

When men and women get together, there are, in effect, two worlds—his and hers. They have different
values, priorities, and habits. They play by different rules.

Scientists have come to accept that a few fundamental differences between men and women are
biological. It turns out that men's and women's brains, for example, are not only different, but
the way we use them differs too. Women have larger connections and more frequent interaction
between their brain's left and right hemispheres. This accounts for women's ability to have better
verbal skills and intuition. Men, on the other hand, have greater brain hemisphere separation,
which explains their skills for abstract reasoning and visual-spatial intelligence. Poet Robert Bly
describes women's brains as a "superhighway" of connection while men’s brains connections are
compared to a "little crookedy country road.'"

Different habits of men and women are explained by different roles in the process of evolution.
Although life conditions have changed, both men and women tend to follow their biological programs.

Men tend to retain a firm sense of direction – they need to trace the game, catch it, and find the
way home, while women have a better peripheral vision that helps them to see what’s happening
around the house, to spot an approaching danger, to notice changes in the children’s behavior and
appearance. Men’s brains are programmed to hunting, which explains their narrow range of vision,
while women’s brains are able to decipher a wider range of information

When entering a room, men look for exits, estimating a possible threat, and ways of escape, while
women pay attention to the guests’ faces to find out who they are and how they feel. Men are able
to sort out information and archive it in their head. Women tend to ‘rewind’ the information over
and over again. The only way to stop thinking of the problems is to talk it over. When a woman
shares her problems with a man, she is not looking for solutions – she needs someone to listen to
her.


Men prefer strident noises, hard handshakes, and red color. They are better at solving technical
problems. Women have a sharper ear, they use more words while talking, and are better at completing
tasks independently.

Based on these biologically explained differences, some psychological distinctions between men and
women can be established:

- Men grasp a situation as a whole and think globally, while women think locally, relying on
details and nuances.

- Men are builders and creators. They take risks and experiment, while women select the most
valuable knowledge and pass it over to the next generation.

- Men are more independent in their thoughts and actions, while women are more willing to follow
the ideas suggested by others.

- Women’s self-appraisal is lower than that of men. Women tend to criticize themselves, while men
are more satisfied with their own performance.

- Men and women have different sources of satisfaction. For men it’s career and prosperity, while
women value family and kids.

- Men have a pronounced need to fulfill their goals, and women rank relationships with others
first.

- Men get sick twice as often as women, although women tend to be more concerned about their
health.

- Women endure pain and monotonous work better than men.

All the above gets even more confusing, if we take into account that 15 to 20% of men happen to
have a female type of brains, and about 10% of women have a male type of brains, which means that
some percentage of men and women, no matter how small it seems, are partially programmed to the
behavior and way of thinking of the opposite gender.

"Okay, I understand the problem", you are saying to yourself, but -"what's the solution"? That
depends on whether you are a woman or a man.

                        From: http://peoplerelationships.syl.com/battleofsexes/differences (21st
November 2010)



Complete the sentences with articles if necessary:


Five things you don’t usually hear a woman say to a man:


 1. No thanks. I don’t like … chocolate.
 2. I know it’s our anniversary … next Saturday, but let’s not go out. Let’s stay in and watch …
Cup Final on TV.
 3. I want to buy … new car. I really like … new BMW. It’s got fuel injection and does 180
kilometres … hour.
 4. I’m glad you like … beer. I like men with … fat stomachs. I find them very attractive.
 5. Don’t worry. I wasn’t expecting … present. I don’t like … presents anyway.


Five things you don’t usually hear a man say to a woman:


 1. I see Brad Pitt has … new film out. Would you like to go to … cinema and see it?
 2. I’m completely lost so I’ll stop and ask … woman over there for directions.
 3. I thought … sheets needed changing so I put them in … washing machine.
 4. I think … red dress suits you, but take your time. There are lots of … other shops we can try.
 5. I really admire the way you can go to … work, run … house, and bring up … children

      so well.


                               From English File intermediate