"The caterpillars that feed on trees are trying to match…
Read the text aloud.
"The caterpillars that feed on trees are trying to match the hatching of their eggs to the timing of bud burst. The caterpillars want to feed on the juiciest and least chemically protected leaves. And it’s not just the caterpillars, of course, that are important. But the knock-on effect is on nesting birds, which are also trying to hatch their chicks at the same time that there's the maximum number of caterpillars."
Opens question #010125 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
"The caterpillars that feed on trees|are trying to match the hatching of their eggs|to the timing of bud burst.‖The caterpillars want to feed on the juiciest|and least chemically protected leaves.‖And it’s not just the caterpillars, of course,|that are important.‖But the knock-on effect is on nesting birds,‖which are also trying to hatch their chicks|at the same time that there's the maximum number of caterpillars."
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| caterpillars | CAT·er·pil·lars | /ˈkætəpɪlɚz/ |
| protected | pro·TEC·ted | /prəˈtɛktɪd/ |
| important | im·POR·tant | /ɪmˈpɔrtənt/ |
| chemically | CHEM·i·cally | /ˈkɛməkli/ |
| juiciest | JUIC·i·est | /ˈdʒusiəst/ |
| maximum | MAX·i·mum | /ˈmæksəməm/ |
72 words, aim for 28–33 seconds. No numbers to read. Breathe after burst, leaves, important and birds; the final clause is long, so keep an even pace to the end.
Where marks are usually lost
caterpillars appears four times — stress the first syllable every time (CAT·er·pil·lars). protected and important stress the second syllable; chemically, juiciest, maximum the first. Keep the -s on trees, eggs, leaves, birds, chicks and the -ed on protected.
General tip: the opening quotation mark is not read aloud; start straight on The and finish on caterpillars.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: “以树木为食的毛毛虫试图让卵的孵化时间与芽的萌发时间相匹配。毛毛虫想吃最多汁、化学防御最弱的叶子。当然，重要的不只是毛毛虫。连锁效应会影响到筑巢的鸟类，它们也在努力让雏鸟在毛毛虫数量最多的时候孵化。”
हिन्दी: "पेड़ों पर भोजन करने वाले कैटरपिलर अपने अंडों के फूटने का समय कलियों के खिलने के समय से मिलाने की कोशिश करते हैं। कैटरपिलर सबसे रसीली और रासायनिक रूप से सबसे कम सुरक्षित पत्तियाँ खाना चाहते हैं। और बेशक, केवल कैटरपिलर ही महत्वपूर्ण नहीं हैं। इसका असर घोंसला बनाने वाले पक्षियों पर भी पड़ता है, जो अपने चूज़ों को उसी समय निकालने की कोशिश करते हैं जब कैटरपिलर की संख्या सबसे अधिक होती है।"
नेपाली: "रूखमा खाने झुसिलकीराहरू आफ्ना अण्डा कोरलिने समयलाई कोपिला फुट्ने समयसँग मिलाउन खोज्छन्। झुसिलकीराहरू सबैभन्दा रसिला र रासायनिक रूपमा सबैभन्दा कम सुरक्षित पातहरू खान चाहन्छन्। र अवश्य नै, महत्त्वपूर्ण भनेको झुसिलकीरा मात्र होइनन्। यसको असर गुँड बनाउने चराहरूमा पनि पर्छ, जसले झुसिलकीराको संख्या सबैभन्दा धेरै हुने बेलामै आफ्ना बचेराहरू कोरल्न खोजिरहेका हुन्छन्।"
Tiếng Việt: "Những con sâu bướm ăn lá cây đang cố làm cho thời điểm trứng nở khớp với thời điểm nụ bung. Sâu bướm muốn ăn những chiếc lá mọng nước nhất và ít được bảo vệ bằng hóa chất nhất. Và dĩ nhiên, không chỉ sâu bướm là quan trọng. Hiệu ứng dây chuyền tác động đến các loài chim làm tổ, chúng cũng cố cho chim non nở đúng lúc số lượng sâu bướm đạt mức tối đa."
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.