“Contrary to cultural assumptions that
boys are stronger and sturdier, basic biological weaknesses are built into the
male of our species. These frailties leave them more vulnerable than girls to
life’s hazards, including environmental pollutants such as insecticides, lead
and plasticizers”
By: Alice
Shabecoff
Published:
Scientific American, February 18, 2014 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-men-the-weaker-sex/
Level of
difficulty: **
Note to the
Student: this is an easy level two so make it one of the first you do.
BEFORE YOU
READ
·
Which do you
think is the weaker sex? What do you base your opinion on?
NOW WATCH THE VIDEO
NOW WATCH THE VIDEO
Are men
mentally the weaker sex? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S07OX3Ip_Ks
QUESTIONS
1.
The writer
says “But don’t go cheering yet” at the beginning of the second paragraph.Why
might people want to cheer?
2.
What does
“These frailties” in the second paragraph refer to?
3.
What is the
relationship between the sentence beginning “These frailties” and the following
sentence beginning “Several studies...”?
4.
What
conclusion can we draw from paragraph three?
5.
What
surprising comparison is provided concerning boys?
6.
Which
sentence best summarizes the paragraph concerning autism and lead poisoning?
7.
Why do humans
start out in the womb with female features?
8.
The chances
of something going wrong is much greater for the male fetus because
of.............
9.
The
disadvantage of being a male in the case of genetic disorders is the fact that.....................
10.
The higher
rate of autism among boys is attributed
to................................................................
11.
The male
brain is more vulnerable than the female brain to all problems related to the
brain due to
..........................................................................................................................................
12.
Which
sentence best summarizes the information concerning chlorphyrifos, phthalates
and bisphjenol A?
13.
The
scientific relity of male weaknesses
mean that we need to ................................................
WRITING TASK
Write an essay or paragraph to support the
following thesis statement: We need to
find ways to protect the male species for the future of mankind. You will
need to provide support proving that males need protection. Imagine that the
whole world disagrees. Use the notes you made.
ARE MEN THE
WEAKER SEX? KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
Once again,
here is a relatively simple yet scientific text which appeals to adult learners
of English. The text is lexically very straightforward but there are twists and
turns which allow for good careful reading questions. There is a pretty obvious
writing task to follow.
1.
The shortest
answer: the male Y chromozome has apparently halted its disappearing act.
2.
The basic
biological weaknesses that are built into the male of our species
3.
The second
sentence is a restatement.
4.
Human males
are disappearing.
5.
Boys in the
1970s faces 30% higher chance of death by their first birthday, back in the
1750s they were 10%...
6.
Once they
make it to childhood they face other challenges.
7.
The famale is
the default gender (the basic simpler model)
8.
The greater
number of cell divisions
9.
The male
lacks a healthy copy of the gene to fall back on
10.
The loss of
key proteins for brain development or repair mechanisms in boys
11.
The lack of estrogen
12.
Some of these
chemicals act like fake estrogens, others like fake testosterone but both types
seem to disrupt normal development.
13.
Find ways to
protect them from harm
No comments:
Post a Comment