Once most animals reach adulthood, they stop growing. In contrast…
Read the text aloud.
Once most animals reach adulthood, they stop growing. In contrast, even plants that are thousands of years old continue to grow new needles, add new wood, and produce cones and new flowers, almost as if parts of their bodies remained “forever young”.
Opens question #010213 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Once most animals reach adulthood,|they stop growing.‖In contrast,|even plants that are thousands of years old|continue to grow new needles,‖add new wood,|and produce cones and new flowers,‖almost as if parts of their bodies remained “forever young”.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| adulthood | a·DULT·hood | /əˈdʌlthʊd/ |
| continue | con·TIN·ue | /kənˈtɪnju/ |
| forever | for·EV·er | /fɚˈɛvɚ/ |
| remained | re·MAINED | /rɪˈmeɪnd/ |
| animals | AN·i·mals | /ˈænəməlz/ |
| produce | pro·DUCE | /prəˈdus/ |
42 words, aim for 16–19 seconds, no numbers. Breathe after growing, after needles, and after flowers; the list "needles, wood, cones and flowers" takes short pauses only. Let the voice fall on "forever young".
Where marks are usually lost
Stress a·DULT·hood, con·TIN·ue, for·EV·er, re·MAINED, pro·DUCE (verb) on the second syllable; AN·i·mals on the first. Keep every -s: animals, plants, thousands, years, needles, cones, flowers, parts, bodies. Don't hesitate before adulthood.
General tip: thousands ends in /ndz/—say "thousand-z", not "thousand".
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 大多数动物一旦成年就停止生长。相比之下，即使是几千年树龄的植物也会继续长出新的针叶、增添新的木质，并结出球果和开出新花，仿佛它们身体的某些部分"永远年轻"。
हिन्दी: अधिकांश जानवर वयस्क होने पर बढ़ना बंद कर देते हैं। इसके विपरीत, हज़ारों साल पुराने पौधे भी नई सुइयाँ उगाते रहते हैं, नई लकड़ी जोड़ते हैं, और शंकु तथा नए फूल पैदा करते हैं, मानो उनके शरीर के कुछ हिस्से "हमेशा जवान" बने रहे हों।
नेपाली: धेरैजसो जनावर वयस्क भएपछि बढ्न छोड्छन्। यसको विपरीत, हजारौँ वर्ष पुराना बिरुवाहरूले पनि नयाँ सुई-पात उमार्न, नयाँ काठ थप्न, र कोन तथा नयाँ फूल फलाउन जारी राख्छन्, मानौँ तिनका शरीरका केही भाग "सधैँ जवान" रहेका छन्।
Tiếng Việt: Hầu hết động vật ngừng lớn khi đến tuổi trưởng thành. Ngược lại, ngay cả những cây hàng nghìn năm tuổi vẫn tiếp tục mọc lá kim mới, thêm gỗ mới, và sinh ra nón cùng hoa mới, gần như thể một số bộ phận của chúng vẫn "mãi mãi trẻ trung".
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.