GENDER STEREOTYPES

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	Women talk more because there diets are richer in protein.	T / F
b.	Women have more of something called Foxp2 in their brain than men.	T / F
c.	Foxp2 was first discovered ten years ago.	T / F
d.	Women use 13,000 more words a day than men.	T / F
e.	The report is the very first to report sex differences in human speech.	T / F
f.	Other scientists say Foxp2 is the only protein responsible for speech.	T / F
g.	The scientists said more research needs to be carried out on infants.	T / F
h.	Someone said women have to talk more because men don't listen.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	talkative	a.	assertions
2.	goes by the name of	b.	started
3.	prevalent	c.	linked
4.	deemed	d.	is called
5.	claims	e.	provided
6.	associated	f.	widespread
7.	established	g.	wisdom
8.	infancy	h.	chatty
9.	offered	i.	early days
10.	insights	j.	judged

GAP FILL

Researchers in the USA have found that a protein in the brain might (1) ____________ why women are more talkative than men - three times more chatty, in (2) ____________. The research team at the University of Maryland say a "language protein" that (3) ____________ by the name of Foxp2 is a lot more prevalent in women's brains. The protein was first discovered a decade ago and was (4) ____________ to be a key neurological (5) ____________ of speech. The scientists say it is a lot more (6) ____________ in girls than boys. They believe the protein is the reason why girls start speaking earlier and more quickly than boys. It also (7) ____________ claims that women speak about 20,000 words a day, compared to just 7,000 words for the (8) ____________ man.		abundant deemed fact supports explain component average goes
Research team leader professor Margaret McCarthy said: "This study is one of the first to (9) ____________ a sex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals." She added: "The findings (10) ____________ the possibility that sex differences in brain and behaviour are more [(11) ____________], and established earlier than                 (12) ____________ [thought]." Other scientists have said there is more than one protein responsible for speech and that the research is in its (13) ____________. Readers of Britain's Daily Mail newspaper offered some interesting (14) ____________ into the chattiness of women. One said women have to talk more because, "men are not good (15) ____________ and women must repeat themselves to be (16) ____________ ". COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS 1. What in the brain could explain the talkativeness of women? 2. What's the name of the protein mentioned in the article? 3. For how long have scientists known about this protein? 4. What did the article say about the protein, and boys and girls? 5. How many words a day do women use than men? 6. Who is Margaret McCarthy? 7. What did other scientists say about the current research? 8. How old is the research into the talkativeness protein? 9. Why did a newspaper reader say women have to talk more? 10. Why did the reader say women have to say the same things again?		previously listeners raise heard report infancy widespread insights