Nature offers no greater splendor than the starry sky on…
Read the text aloud.
Nature offers no greater splendor than the starry sky on a clear, dark night. Silent and jeweled with the constellations of ancient myth and legend, the night sky has inspired wonder throughout the ages, a wonder that leads our imaginations far from the confines of Earth and the pace of the present day, and out into the distant reaches of space and cosmic time itself.
Opens question #010287 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Nature offers no greater splendor|than the starry sky on a clear, dark night.‖Silent and jeweled with the constellations|of ancient myth and legend,‖the night sky has inspired wonder throughout the ages,‖a wonder that leads our imaginations|far from the confines of Earth|and the pace of the present day,‖and out into the distant reaches of space|and cosmic time itself.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| imaginations | i·mag·i·NA·tions | /ɪmædʒəˈneɪʃənz/ |
| constellations | con·stel·LA·tions | /kɑnstəˈleɪʃənz/ |
| inspired | in·SPI·red | /ɪnˈspaɪɚd/ |
| throughout | through·OUT | /θruˈaʊt/ |
| itself | it·SELF | /ɪtˈsɛlf/ |
65 words, aim for 25–30 seconds. No numbers. The second sentence is very long, so breathe after night, legend, ages and day, and pause briefly at each comma.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress con·stel·LA·tions and i·mag·i·NA·tions on the -LA-/-NA- syllable, and put the stress late in in·SPI·red, through·OUT, it·SELF. Don't rush splendor or jeweled. Keep the endings: offers, leads, confines, reaches, jeweled, inspired.
General tip: after ages the sentence restarts with a wonder that…; drop your voice slightly and begin again so the long sentence stays clear.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 大自然没有比晴朗漆黑夜晚的星空更壮丽的景象了。夜空静谧，点缀着古老神话与传说中的星座，自古以来便激发着人们的惊叹——这种惊叹把我们的想象带离地球的局限和当下的节奏，飞向遥远的太空深处和宇宙时间本身。
हिन्दी: प्रकृति साफ़, अँधेरी रात के तारों भरे आकाश से बढ़कर कोई वैभव नहीं देती। मौन और प्राचीन मिथकों व किंवदंतियों के नक्षत्रों से जड़ा हुआ रात का आकाश युगों से आश्चर्य जगाता रहा है — एक ऐसा आश्चर्य जो हमारी कल्पनाओं को पृथ्वी की सीमाओं और वर्तमान की गति से दूर, अंतरिक्ष की सुदूर गहराइयों और स्वयं ब्रह्मांडीय समय तक ले जाता है।
नेपाली: स्पष्ट, अँध्यारो रातको ताराले भरिएको आकाशभन्दा ठूलो वैभव प्रकृतिले दिँदैन। मौन र प्राचीन मिथक तथा किंवदन्तीका ताराचक्रले सजिएको रातको आकाशले युगौँदेखि आश्चर्य जगाएको छ — त्यस्तो आश्चर्य जसले हाम्रा कल्पनालाई पृथ्वीका सीमा र वर्तमानको गतिबाट टाढा, अन्तरिक्षका दूरतम भाग र ब्रह्माण्डीय समय स्वयंसम्म लैजान्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Thiên nhiên không có vẻ huy hoàng nào lớn hơn bầu trời đầy sao trong một đêm trong và tối. Tĩnh lặng và được điểm bằng những chòm sao của thần thoại và truyền thuyết cổ xưa, bầu trời đêm đã gợi lên sự kinh ngạc qua các thời đại — một sự kinh ngạc dẫn trí tưởng tượng của ta vượt xa giới hạn của Trái Đất và nhịp sống hiện tại, ra tới những vùng xa xôi của vũ trụ và chính thời gian vũ trụ.
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.