The border itself between Mexico and the United States is…
Read the text aloud.
The border itself between Mexico and the United States is fraught with a mix of urban and desert terrain and spans over 1,900 miles. Both the uninhabited areas of the border and urban areas are where the most drug trafficking and illegal crossings take place. Crime is prevalent in urban cities like El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California.
Opens question #010084 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
The border itself between Mexico and the United States|is fraught with a mix of urban and desert terrain‖and spans over 1,900 miles.|Both the uninhabited areas of the border and urban areas‖are where the most drug trafficking and illegal crossings take place.‖Crime is prevalent in urban cities like El Paso, Texas|and San Diego, California.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 23–27 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| uninhabited | un·in·HAB·it·ed | /ʌnɪnˈhæbətɪd/ |
| california | cal·i·FOR·nia | /kæləˈfɔrnjə/ |
| illegal | il·LE·gal | /ɪˈliɡəl/ |
| united | u·NIT·ed | /juˈnaɪtɪd/ |
| trafficking | TRAF·fick·ing | /ˈtræfɪkɪŋ/ |
| prevalent | PREV·a·lent | /ˈprɛvələnt/ |
59 words, aim 23–27 seconds. Say 1,900 = "one thousand nine hundred" (or "nineteen hundred"). Breathe after terrain, after areas and after place.. Place names come in pairs — El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California — give each a tiny lift.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress un·in·HAB·it·ed and cal·i·FOR·nia on the third syllable, il·LE·gal and u·NIT·ed on the second, TRAF·fick·ing and PREV·a·lent on the first. Keep the -s in States, spans, miles, areas, crossings, cities. Don't freeze before 1,900 or uninhabited.
General tip: fraught with is one phrase — link the t of fraught into with so there is no gap.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 墨西哥与美国之间的边境本身交织着城市与沙漠地形，绵延超过 1,900 英里。边境的无人居住区域和城市区域都是毒品走私和非法越境最多的地方。在德州埃尔帕索和加州圣迭戈等城市，犯罪十分普遍。
हिन्दी: मेक्सिको और संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका के बीच की सीमा शहरी और रेगिस्तानी इलाक़ों के मिश्रण से भरी है और 1,900 मील से अधिक लंबी है। सीमा के निर्जन इलाक़े और शहरी इलाक़े, दोनों ही जगहों पर सबसे ज़्यादा नशीली दवाओं की तस्करी और अवैध घुसपैठ होती है। एल पासो, टेक्सास और सैन डिएगो, कैलिफ़ोर्निया जैसे शहरों में अपराध आम है।
नेपाली: मेक्सिको र संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिकाबीचको सिमाना सहरी र मरुभूमि भूभागको मिश्रणले भरिएको छ र 1,900 माइलभन्दा लामो छ। सिमानाका निर्जन क्षेत्र र सहरी क्षेत्र दुवैमा सबैभन्दा बढी लागुऔषध तस्करी र अवैध प्रवेश हुन्छ। एल पासो, टेक्सास र स्यान डिएगो, क्यालिफोर्निया जस्ता सहरहरूमा अपराध व्यापक छ।
Tiếng Việt: Bản thân biên giới giữa Mexico và Hoa Kỳ pha trộn địa hình đô thị và sa mạc, trải dài hơn 1.900 dặm. Cả những khu vực không người ở lẫn khu đô thị dọc biên giới đều là nơi diễn ra nhiều nhất nạn buôn ma túy và vượt biên trái phép. Tội phạm phổ biến ở các thành phố như El Paso, Texas và San Diego, California.
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.