Since the Soviet Union successfully launched the first man-made satellite…
Read the text aloud.
Since the Soviet Union successfully launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957, about 5,000 more satellites have been put into orbit around the Earth. About 2,000 of these are active and although the rest are now disfunctional, they remain in orbit, together with parts from all the rockets that carried them there. These remnants are often referred to as space junk, space trash or orbital debris.
Opens question #010363 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Since the Soviet Union successfully launched the first man-made satellite,|Sputnik 1,|in 1957,‖about 5,000 more satellites have been put into orbit around the Earth.‖About 2,000 of these are active|and although the rest are now dysfunctional,|they remain in orbit,‖together with parts from all the rockets that carried them there.‖These remnants are often referred to as space junk,|space trash or orbital debris.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| dysfunctional | dys·FUNC·tion·al | /dɪsˈfʌŋkʃənəl/ |
| successfully | suc·CESS·ful·ly | /səkˈsɛsfəli/ |
| together | to·GETH·er | /təˈɡɛðɚ/ |
| satellites | SAT·el·lites | /ˈsætəlaɪts/ |
| satellite | SAT·el·lite | /ˈsætəlaɪt/ |
| although | al·THOUGH | /ɔlˈðoʊ/ |
68 words, aim for 26–31 seconds. Say Sputnik 1 as "Sputnik one", 1957 as "nineteen fifty-seven", 5,000 as "five thousand", 2,000 as "two thousand". Breathe after 1957,, Earth., orbit, and there..
Where marks are usually lost
Stress SAT·el·lite(s) on the first syllable; suc·CESS·ful·ly, dys·FUNC·tion·al, to·GETH·er, al·THOUGH on the second. Don't pause before 1957, 5,000 or 2,000. Keep the -ed on launched, carried, referred and the -s on satellites, rockets, remnants.
General tip: The first sentence has three commas before the main clause — keep your voice up through Sputnik 1, in 1957, so the listener waits for about 5,000 more satellites.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 自 1957 年苏联成功发射第一颗人造卫星"斯普特尼克 1 号"以来，又有约 5000 颗卫星被送入地球轨道。其中约 2000 颗仍在运行，其余虽已失效，却仍留在轨道上，连同把它们送上去的所有火箭的部件。这些残骸常被称为太空垃圾、太空废物或轨道碎片。
हिन्दी: जब से सोवियत संघ ने 1957 में पहला मानव-निर्मित उपग्रह, स्पुतनिक 1, सफलतापूर्वक प्रक्षेपित किया, तब से लगभग 5,000 और उपग्रह पृथ्वी की कक्षा में भेजे जा चुके हैं। इनमें से लगभग 2,000 सक्रिय हैं, और बाकी अब निष्क्रिय होने के बावजूद कक्षा में बने हुए हैं, साथ में उन सभी रॉकेटों के हिस्से भी जो उन्हें वहाँ ले गए। इन अवशेषों को अक्सर स्पेस जंक, स्पेस ट्रैश या कक्षीय मलबा कहा जाता है।
नेपाली: सोभियत संघले १९५७ मा पहिलो मानवनिर्मित भूउपग्रह स्पुतनिक १ सफलतापूर्वक प्रक्षेपण गरेदेखि लगभग ५,००० थप भूउपग्रह पृथ्वीको कक्षमा पठाइएका छन्। तीमध्ये लगभग २,००० सक्रिय छन्, र बाँकी अब काम नगर्ने भए पनि तिनीहरूलाई त्यहाँ पुर्याउने सबै रकेटका भागहरूसँगै कक्षमै रहेका छन्। यी अवशेषहरूलाई प्रायः अन्तरिक्ष फोहोर, अन्तरिक्ष कसिङ्गर वा कक्षीय मलबा भनिन्छ।
Tiếng Việt: Kể từ khi Liên Xô phóng thành công vệ tinh nhân tạo đầu tiên, Sputnik 1, vào năm 1957, đã có khoảng 5.000 vệ tinh nữa được đưa lên quỹ đạo quanh Trái Đất. Khoảng 2.000 trong số đó còn hoạt động, và dù số còn lại đã ngừng hoạt động, chúng vẫn ở trên quỹ đạo cùng với các bộ phận của mọi tên lửa đã đưa chúng lên. Những tàn dư này thường được gọi là rác vũ trụ, phế thải vũ trụ hay mảnh vỡ quỹ đạo.
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.