If you're a male and you're reading this, congratulations! You're a survivor. According to statistics,you're more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman,and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term,about 78 years for men in Australia,you'll die on average five years before a woman. There're many reasons for this--typically,men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don't go to the doctor. "Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should," says Dr. Gullotta."This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike. According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15 and early 49s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70%of men in the same age group. "A lot of men think they're unbeatable,"Gullotta says."They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, Geez, if it could happen to him ..." Then there's the ostrich approach."Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know," says Dr. Ross Cartmill. "Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies," Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups. "Prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases.Besides, the final cost is far greater,it's called premature death." Why does the author congratulate male readers at the beginning of the passage?
They can live longer than they expected. They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life. They have lived long enough to read this article. They are more likely to survive serious diseases now.