English colonies emerged along the eastern seaboard for a variety…
Read the text aloud.
English colonies emerged along the eastern seaboard for a variety of reasons. People, primarily men, originally migrated to Virginia to find gold and silver to make a quick profit. After it became evident that there were no precious metals in the area, men came to Virginia to start cultivating cash crops like tobacco.
Opens question #010320 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
English colonies emerged along the eastern seaboard|for a variety of reasons.‖People, primarily men,|originally migrated to Virginia|to find gold and silver to make a quick profit.‖After it became evident|that there were no precious metals in the area,‖men came to Virginia|to start cultivating cash crops like tobacco.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 20–24 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| originally | o·RI·gi·nal·ly | /ɚˈɪdʒənəli/ |
| primarily | pri·MA·ri·ly | /praɪˈmɛrəli/ |
| variety | va·RI·e·ty | /vɚˈaɪəti/ |
| cultivating | CUL·ti·va·ting | /ˈkʌltɪveɪtɪŋ/ |
| virginia | vir·GI·nia | /vɚˈdʒɪnjə/ |
| tobacco | to·BAC·co | /təˈbækoʊ/ |
53 words in 20–24 seconds, no numbers. Breathe after reasons, profit and area. The commas around primarily men are real pauses—drop your voice slightly, then return.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress the second syllable: pri·MA·ri·ly, o·RI·gi·nal·ly, va·RI·e·ty, vir·GI·nia, to·BAC·co; only CUL·ti·va·ting is stressed first. Don't hesitate before Virginia either time. Keep -ed in emerged, migrated and -s in colonies, reasons, metals, crops.
General tip: variety is four syllables, not three—let the middle RI ring before the quick -ety.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 英国殖民地出于多种原因沿东海岸兴起。人们，主要是男性，最初迁往弗吉尼亚是为了寻找金银，赚取快钱。当发现该地区并无贵金属后，男人们来到弗吉尼亚开始种植烟草等经济作物。
हिन्दी: अंग्रेज़ी उपनिवेश पूर्वी तट पर कई कारणों से उभरे। लोग, मुख्यतः पुरुष, मूल रूप से सोना और चाँदी खोजकर जल्दी मुनाफ़ा कमाने के लिए वर्जीनिया गए। जब यह स्पष्ट हो गया कि उस क्षेत्र में कोई बहुमूल्य धातु नहीं है, तो पुरुष तंबाकू जैसी नकदी फ़सलें उगाने के लिए वर्जीनिया आए।
नेपाली: अंग्रेजी उपनिवेशहरू विभिन्न कारणले पूर्वी समुद्रतटमा उदाए। मानिसहरू, मुख्यतः पुरुषहरू, सुरुमा सुन र चाँदी खोजेर छिटो नाफा कमाउन भर्जिनिया गए। त्यस क्षेत्रमा बहुमूल्य धातु नभएको स्पष्ट भएपछि पुरुषहरू सुर्तीजस्ता नगदे बाली खेती गर्न भर्जिनिया आए।
Tiếng Việt: Các thuộc địa của Anh hình thành dọc bờ biển phía đông vì nhiều lý do. Người dân, chủ yếu là đàn ông, ban đầu di cư đến Virginia để tìm vàng và bạc nhằm kiếm lời nhanh. Sau khi thấy rõ rằng khu vực này không có kim loại quý, đàn ông đến Virginia để bắt đầu trồng các cây công nghiệp như thuốc lá.
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.