The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18…
Read the text aloud.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago.
Opens question #010001 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long,|up to 18 miles wide|and attains a depth of over a mile.‖While the specific geologic processes and timing|that formed the Grand Canyon|are the subject of debate by geologists,‖recent evidence suggests|the Colorado River established its course through the canyon|at least 17 million years ago.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| geologists | ge·OL·o·gists | /dʒiˈɑlədʒɪsts/ |
| geologic | ge·o·LOG·ic | /dʒiəˈlɑdʒɪk/ |
| colorado | col·o·RA·do | /kɑlɚˈɑdoʊ/ |
| established | es·TAB·lished | /ɪˈstæblɪʃt/ |
| specific | spe·CIF·ic | /spəˈsɪfɪk/ |
| processes | PRO·cess·es | /ˈprɑsɛsəz/ |
57 words, aim for 22–26 seconds. Say 277 as 'two hundred and seventy-seven', 18 as 'eighteen' and 17 million as 'seventeen million'. Breathe after mile and after geologists; take short pauses at the commas.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress shifts between ge·OL·o·gists and ge·o·LOG·ic; col·o·RA·do is stressed on the third syllable. Hesitating before 277 or 17 million. Dropping the final -s in miles, attains, processes, suggests, years.
General tip: Say the three numbers aloud a couple of times before you start, so they come out as smoothly as the words around them.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 大峡谷长277英里，最宽处达18英里，深度超过一英里。虽然形成大峡谷的具体地质过程和时间仍是地质学家们争论的话题，但最近的证据表明，科罗拉多河至少在1700万年前就已在峡谷中确立了其河道。
हिन्दी: ग्रैंड कैन्यन 277 मील लंबा है, 18 मील तक चौड़ा है और इसकी गहराई एक मील से अधिक है। हालाँकि ग्रैंड कैन्यन को बनाने वाली विशिष्ट भूवैज्ञानिक प्रक्रियाएँ और उनका समय भूवैज्ञानिकों के बीच बहस का विषय हैं, हाल के प्रमाण बताते हैं कि कोलोराडो नदी ने कम से कम 1.7 करोड़ वर्ष पहले इस घाटी से होकर अपना मार्ग स्थापित कर लिया था।
नेपाली: ग्र्यान्ड क्यान्यन 277 माइल लामो, 18 माइलसम्म चौडा छ र यसको गहिराइ एक माइलभन्दा बढी छ। ग्र्यान्ड क्यान्यन बनाउने विशिष्ट भौगर्भिक प्रक्रिया र समय भूगर्भशास्त्रीहरूबीच बहसको विषय भए पनि, हालैका प्रमाणहरूले कोलोराडो नदीले कम्तीमा 1 करोड 70 लाख वर्षअघि नै यस घाटीबाट आफ्नो बाटो स्थापित गरेको देखाउँछन्।
Tiếng Việt: Grand Canyon dài 277 dặm, rộng tới 18 dặm và đạt độ sâu hơn một dặm. Mặc dù các quá trình địa chất cụ thể và thời điểm hình thành Grand Canyon vẫn là chủ đề tranh luận của các nhà địa chất, bằng chứng gần đây cho thấy sông Colorado đã xác lập dòng chảy của mình qua hẻm núi này ít nhất 17 triệu năm trước.
More Read Aloud questions
Read Aloud format (Pearson)
| Prompt | Text up to 60 words |
|---|---|
| Preparation | 30–40 seconds |
| Time to answer | Depends on the length of the text |
| Skills assessed | Speaking |
| Scored on | Content; Pronunciation; Oral fluency |
How it is scored
- Content is scored by counting the correct words in your response.
- If you stay silent for more than 3 seconds, the recording stops.
- You can record your response only once.
Source: Pearson, PTE Academic & UKVI test format, Part 1: Speaking & Writing, checked 9 October 2026.