The beginning of the twenty-first century will be remembered, not…
Read the text aloud.
The beginning of the twenty-first century will be remembered, not for military conflicts or political events, but for a whole new age of globalization – a ‘flattening’ of the world. The explosion of advanced technologies now means that suddenly knowledge pools and resources have connected all over the planet, leveling the playing field as never before.
Opens question #010069 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The beginning of the twenty-first century will be remembered,|not for military conflicts or political events,‖but for a whole new age of globalization –|a ‘flattening’ of the world.‖The explosion of advanced technologies now means|that suddenly knowledge pools and resources have connected all over the planet,‖leveling the playing field as never before.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| globalization | glo·bal·i·ZA·tion | /ɡloʊbəlɪˈzeɪʃən/ |
| technologies | tech·NOL·o·gies | /tɛkˈnɑlədʒiz/ |
| political | po·LIT·i·cal | /pəˈlɪtəkəl/ |
| remembered | re·MEM·bered | /rɪˈmɛmbɚd/ |
| beginning | be·GIN·ning | /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/ |
| explosion | ex·PLO·sion | /ɪksˈploʊʒən/ |
56 words, aim for 22–25 seconds. No digits: twenty-first is already written out. Breathe after events,, after world. and after planet,; make only a short pause at the dash before a ‘flattening’.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress glo·bal·i·ZA·tion on ZA, but tech·NOL·o·gies, po·LIT·i·cal, re·MEM·bered, be·GIN·ning, ex·PLO·sion on the second syllable. The -ed in remembered and connected must sound. Keep the plural -s in conflicts, events, pools, resources.
General tip: Read 'not for… but for…' as a real contrast: lift but slightly so the listener hears the turn in the argument.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 二十一世纪的开端将被人们记住，不是因为军事冲突或政治事件，而是因为一个全新的全球化时代——世界的“扁平化”。先进技术的爆发如今意味着，知识库和资源突然在全球范围内连接起来，以前所未有的方式拉平了竞争环境。
हिन्दी: इक्कीसवीं सदी की शुरुआत को सैन्य संघर्षों या राजनीतिक घटनाओं के लिए नहीं, बल्कि वैश्वीकरण के एक बिल्कुल नए युग — दुनिया के 'सपाट होने' — के लिए याद किया जाएगा। उन्नत तकनीकों के विस्फोट का अब मतलब है कि अचानक ज्ञान के भंडार और संसाधन पूरे ग्रह पर जुड़ गए हैं, जिससे प्रतिस्पर्धा का मैदान पहले कभी न देखी गई तरह समतल हो गया है।
नेपाली: एक्काइसौँ शताब्दीको सुरुवात सैन्य द्वन्द्व वा राजनीतिक घटनाका लागि नभई भूमण्डलीकरणको एउटा बिल्कुल नयाँ युग — संसारको 'चेप्टो हुनु' — का लागि सम्झिइनेछ। उन्नत प्रविधिहरूको विस्फोटले अब यस्तो अर्थ राख्छ कि ज्ञानका भण्डार र स्रोतसाधनहरू अचानक सारा पृथ्वीभरि जोडिएका छन्, जसले प्रतिस्पर्धाको मैदानलाई पहिले कहिल्यै नभएको गरी समतल बनाइदिएको छ।
Tiếng Việt: Đầu thế kỷ hai mươi mốt sẽ được ghi nhớ không phải vì các xung đột quân sự hay sự kiện chính trị, mà vì một thời đại toàn cầu hóa hoàn toàn mới – sự "làm phẳng" thế giới. Sự bùng nổ của các công nghệ tiên tiến giờ đây có nghĩa là các nguồn tri thức và tài nguyên bất ngờ được kết nối khắp hành tinh, san bằng sân chơi như chưa từng có.
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.