Britain, then, was slower to create and develop a police…
Read the text aloud.
Britain, then, was slower to create and develop a police force than the rest of Europe: France had one long before - indeed, the word police is taken from the French. This fact was not unimportant, as the very idea of a police force was seen as foreign - that is, French - and particularly undesirable, and was generally regarded as a form of oppression.
Opens question #010122 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Britain, then, was slower to create and develop a police force|than the rest of Europe:‖France had one long before -|indeed, the word police is taken from the French.‖This fact was not unimportant,|as the very idea of a police force was seen as foreign -|that is, French -‖and particularly undesirable,|and was generally regarded as a form of oppression.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 25–30 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| particularly | par·TIC·u·lar·ly | /pɑrˈtɪkjəlɚli/ |
| undesirable | un·de·SIR·a·ble | /ʌndɪˈzaɪrəbəl/ |
| unimportant | un·im·POR·tant | /ənɪmˈpɔrtənt/ |
| oppression | op·PRES·sion | /əˈprɛʃən/ |
| generally | GEN·er·al·ly | /ˈdʒɛnɚəli/ |
| regarded | re·GARD·ed | /rɪˈɡɑrdɪd/ |
65 words in 25–30 seconds; no numbers. Breathe after Europe, French (end of sentence 1) and after the second dash at French; the final group is and particularly undesirable … oppression.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress par·TIC·u·lar·ly, un·de·SIR·a·ble, un·im·POR·tant, op·PRES·sion, GEN·er·al·ly, re·GARD·ed. The dashes tempt long stops—use only a short pause. Say the -ed on regarded as a full extra syllable.
General tip: police appears three times with stress on the second syllable each time; French ends with /ntʃ/, so finish the word before the dash.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 因此，英国在建立和发展警察力量方面比欧洲其他国家慢：法国早就有了，事实上 "police" 一词就来自法语。这一点并非不重要，因为警察力量这一想法本身被视为外来的——也就是法国的——因而特别不受欢迎，并普遍被看作一种压迫形式。
हिन्दी: तो ब्रिटेन, शेष यूरोप की तुलना में, पुलिस बल बनाने और विकसित करने में धीमा था: फ़्रांस के पास बहुत पहले से था—वास्तव में "police" शब्द फ़्रेंच से लिया गया है। यह तथ्य महत्वहीन नहीं था, क्योंकि पुलिस बल के विचार को ही विदेशी—यानी फ़्रेंच—और विशेष रूप से अवांछनीय माना जाता था, और आम तौर पर दमन का एक रूप समझा जाता था।
नेपाली: त्यसैले बेलायत बाँकी युरोपभन्दा प्रहरी बल बनाउन र विकास गर्न ढिलो थियो: फ्रान्ससँग धेरै अघिदेखि थियो—वास्तवमा "police" शब्द फ्रेन्चबाट लिइएको हो। यो तथ्य महत्त्वहीन थिएन, किनकि प्रहरी बलको विचार नै विदेशी—अर्थात् फ्रेन्च—र विशेष गरी अवाञ्छित मानिन्थ्यो, र सामान्यतया दमनको एक रूप ठानिन्थ्यो।
Tiếng Việt: Vì thế, Anh chậm hơn phần còn lại của châu Âu trong việc lập và phát triển lực lượng cảnh sát: Pháp đã có từ lâu—thực ra từ "police" lấy từ tiếng Pháp. Điều này không hề không quan trọng, vì chính ý tưởng về cảnh sát bị xem là ngoại lai—tức là của Pháp—và đặc biệt không được mong muốn, và thường bị coi là một hình thức áp bức.
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.