Usually, age is determined by physical characteristics, such as teeth…
Read the text aloud.
Usually, age is determined by physical characteristics, such as teeth or bones. Great— if you have a body. Researchers have tried unsuccessfully to use blood. But in this study, the scientists used immune cells called T-cells. T-cells recognize invaders through receptors that match molecules on bacteria, viruses, even tumours. The cellular activity that produces these receptors also produces a type of circular DNA molecule as a by- product.
Opens question #010086 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Usually,|age is determined by physical characteristics,|such as teeth or bones.‖Great— if you have a body.|Researchers have tried unsuccessfully to use blood.‖But in this study,|the scientists used immune cells called T-cells.‖T-cells recognize invaders through receptors|that match molecules on bacteria, viruses, even tumours.‖The cellular activity that produces these receptors|also produces a type of circular DNA molecule|as a by-product.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 26–30 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| characteristics | char·ac·ter·IS·tics | /kɛrəktɚˈɪstɪks/ |
| unsuccessfully | un·suc·CESS·ful·ly | /ʌnsəkˈsɛsfəli/ |
| bacteria | bac·TE·ri·a | /bækˈtɪriə/ |
| activity | ac·TIV·i·ty | /ækˈtɪvəti/ |
| determined | de·TER·mined | /dɪˈtɝmənd/ |
| receptors | re·CEP·tors | /rəˈsɛptɚz/ |
67 words, aim 26–30 seconds. No numbers, but say T-cells as 'tee-cells' and DNA letter by letter. Breathe after bones, blood, T-cells and tumours.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress char·ac·ter·IS·tics and un·suc·CESS·ful·ly late, not on the first syllable. Keep -s on receptors, molecules, viruses, produces, and the -ed in determined and called. Don't stall at the dash after Great.
General tip: the passage has six short sentences; drop your pitch at each full stop so the scorer hears sentence boundaries, then restart quickly.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 通常，年龄是通过身体特征来判定的，比如牙齿或骨骼。有尸体的话当然好。研究人员曾尝试用血液，但没有成功。而在这项研究中，科学家使用了一种叫 T 细胞的免疫细胞。T 细胞通过受体识别入侵者，这些受体能与细菌、病毒甚至肿瘤上的分子相匹配。产生这些受体的细胞活动还会产生一种环状 DNA 分子作为副产物。
हिन्दी: आमतौर पर उम्र शारीरिक विशेषताओं से तय होती है, जैसे दाँत या हड्डियाँ। बढ़िया— अगर शरीर मौजूद हो। शोधकर्ताओं ने खून का उपयोग करने की कोशिश की, पर असफल रहे। लेकिन इस अध्ययन में वैज्ञानिकों ने T-cells नामक प्रतिरक्षा कोशिकाओं का उपयोग किया। T-cells ऐसे रिसेप्टरों से आक्रमणकारियों को पहचानती हैं जो बैक्टीरिया, वायरस, यहाँ तक कि ट्यूमर के अणुओं से मेल खाते हैं। इन रिसेप्टरों को बनाने वाली कोशिकीय गतिविधि उप-उत्पाद के रूप में एक प्रकार का गोलाकार DNA अणु भी बनाती है।
नेपाली: सामान्यतया उमेर शारीरिक विशेषताहरू, जस्तै दाँत वा हड्डीबाट निर्धारण गरिन्छ। राम्रो— यदि शरीर छ भने। अनुसन्धानकर्ताहरूले रगत प्रयोग गर्ने प्रयास गरे तर असफल भए। तर यस अध्ययनमा वैज्ञानिकहरूले T-cells भनिने प्रतिरक्षा कोशिकाहरू प्रयोग गरे। T-cells ले ब्याक्टेरिया, भाइरस, ट्युमरसम्मका अणुहरूसँग मेल खाने रिसेप्टरमार्फत आक्रमणकारीलाई चिन्छन्। ती रिसेप्टर बनाउने कोशिकीय क्रियाकलापले उप-उत्पादनका रूपमा एक प्रकारको गोलाकार DNA अणु पनि बनाउँछ।
Tiếng Việt: Thông thường, tuổi được xác định qua các đặc điểm thể chất như răng hoặc xương. Tuyệt— nếu bạn có một cơ thể. Các nhà nghiên cứu đã thử dùng máu nhưng không thành công. Nhưng trong nghiên cứu này, các nhà khoa học dùng tế bào miễn dịch gọi là tế bào T. Tế bào T nhận ra kẻ xâm nhập nhờ các thụ thể khớp với phân tử trên vi khuẩn, vi-rút, thậm chí khối u. Hoạt động tế bào tạo ra các thụ thể này cũng tạo ra một loại phân tử DNA vòng như một sản phẩm phụ.
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.