APPENDIX 1 The Text for the SAQ Fonnat Test

Abstract

Both men and women are living longer these days in the industrialized countries. However, women, on the average, live longer. In general, they can expect to live six or seven years more than men. The reasons for this are both biological and cultural. One important biological factor that helps women live longer is the difference in hormones between men and women. Hormones are chemicals which are produced by the body to control various body functions. Between the ages of 12 and SO, women produce hormones that are involved in fertility. These hormones also have a positive effect on the heart and the blood flow. In fact, women are less likely to have high blood pressure or to die from heart attacks. The female hormones also protect the body in another way. They help the body to defend itself against some kinds of infections. This means that women generally get sick less often and less seriously than men. Women are also helped by their female genes. Scientists are still not exactly sure how genes influence aging, but they believe that they do. Some think that a woman's body cells have a tendency to age more slowly than a man's. Others think that a man's body cells have a tendency to age more quickly. Recent research seems to support both of these possibilities.