According to a poll (1), 40 per cent of married couples in Britain argue about the thermostat setting on the central heating. About 44 per cent of women admit to switching the heating on when their partners aren’t looking, and 39 per cent turn it up. It drives men crazy.
This might have physiological reasons: allegedly women have twice as many temperature sensors in their skin. Men don’t like the cold either, but they are inherently (2) more resistant than women in this respect. They view blowing money on heating as a frivolous waste of financial resources which would be better directed towards essentials such as vintage (3) comics.
Another important point of argument is clothes. Reportedly as many as two thirds of men let their wives choose clothes for them to wear in the morning. Sometimes, wives might dress their husbands in such a way as to prevent their contact with other women as much as possible. After all the dressing advice has been followed, men tend to resemble ageing lesbians. They will then pick an argument occasionally, but by then it’s too late.
Couples also tend to argue about waste. Figuring out what constitutes (4) domestic waste is a problem comparable to having to memorize more than one password or PIN number. In the context of a long-term relationship it can take on a great significance. Think of all the nice things that you lost because your partner decided you didn’t need them anymore. Opinions, of course, differ between men and women as to what is not needed anymore.
Questions
- Why do, according to the article, couples argue over thermostat setting?
- According to the article, do men enjoy cold more than women?
- Would you agree that ‘vintage comics’ are ‘essentials’ (3rd paragraph)?
- What is, according to the article, the goal that a wife has when dressing her husband?
- Why do, according to the article, couples argue over waste?
- Do you think the original text has been written by a man or a woman? Why?
- What ‘stupid’ things do you typically argue about, if any?
Vocabulary
poll (1) – the process of finding out what people think about something by asking many people the same question, or the record of the result
inherently (2) – a quality that is inherent in something is a natural part of it and cannot be separated from it
vintage (3) – old, but high quality
constitute (4) – to be considered to be something
You can find additional explanation and more examples to help you understand and use English words and phrases at https://dictionary.reference.com, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/, https://www.merriam-webster.com/ or https://www.ldoceonline.com/
