Permafrost is ground that is frozen year-round. In the Arctic…
Read the text aloud.
Permafrost is ground that is frozen year-round. In the Arctic, ice-rich permafrost soils can be up to 260 feet thick. Due to human-caused warming of the atmosphere from greenhouse gas emissions, a steady thawing of the permafrost is currently taking place where the upper layer of seasonally thawed soil is gradually getting thicker and reaching deeper into the ground.
Opens question #010371 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
Permafrost is ground that is frozen year-round.‖In the Arctic,|ice-rich permafrost soils can be up to 260 feet thick.‖Due to human-caused warming of the atmosphere|from greenhouse gas emissions,‖a steady thawing of the permafrost is currently taking place|where the upper layer of seasonally thawed soil‖is gradually getting thicker|and reaching deeper into the ground.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 23–27 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| seasonally | SEA·son·al·ly | /ˈsizənəli/ |
| emissions | e·MIS·sions | /ɪˈmɪʃənz/ |
| gradually | GRAD·u·al·ly | /ˈɡrædʒuəli/ |
| atmosphere | AT·mos·phere | /ˈætməsfɪr/ |
| currently | CUR·rent·ly | /ˈkɝəntli/ |
59 words, aim 23–27 seconds. Say 260 as 'two hundred and sixty'. Breathe after year-round, thick, emissions and soil; short pauses after Arctic and atmosphere.
Where marks are usually lost
First-syllable stress on SEA·son·al·ly, GRAD·u·al·ly, AT·mos·phere, CUR·rent·ly; second syllable on e·MIS·sions. Don't hesitate before 260 or permafrost. Keep -s in soils, emissions and -ed in human-caused, thawed.
General tip: the last sentence is nearly 40 words – breathe after emissions and soil, and don't let your voice drop until ground.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 永久冻土是全年冻结的土地。在北极，富含冰的永久冻土层可厚达260英尺。由于温室气体排放造成的人为大气变暖，永久冻土目前正在持续融化，季节性融化的上层土壤逐渐变厚，并向地下延伸得更深。
हिन्दी: पर्माफ्रॉस्ट वह ज़मीन है जो साल भर जमी रहती है। आर्कटिक में बर्फ़-समृद्ध पर्माफ्रॉस्ट मिट्टी 260 फीट तक मोटी हो सकती है। ग्रीनहाउस गैस उत्सर्जन से वायुमंडल के मानव-जनित तापन के कारण, पर्माफ्रॉस्ट का लगातार पिघलना वर्तमान में हो रहा है, जिसमें मौसमी रूप से पिघली मिट्टी की ऊपरी परत धीरे-धीरे मोटी होती जा रही है और ज़मीन में और गहराई तक पहुँच रही है।
नेपाली: पर्माफ्रोस्ट वर्षभरि जमेको जमिन हो। आर्कटिकमा बरफले भरिपूर्ण पर्माफ्रोस्ट माटो 260 फिटसम्म बाक्लो हुन सक्छ। हरितगृह ग्यास उत्सर्जनबाट वायुमण्डलको मानव-निर्मित तापक्रम वृद्धिका कारण, पर्माफ्रोस्ट हाल निरन्तर पग्लिरहेको छ, जहाँ मौसमी रूपमा पग्लिएको माथिल्लो माटोको तह बिस्तारै बाक्लो हुँदै र जमिनभित्र झन् गहिरो पुग्दै गइरहेको छ।
Tiếng Việt: Tầng đất đóng băng vĩnh cửu là lớp đất bị đóng băng quanh năm. Ở Bắc Cực, đất đóng băng vĩnh cửu giàu băng có thể dày tới 260 feet. Do sự ấm lên của khí quyển mà con người gây ra từ phát thải khí nhà kính, tầng đất đóng băng vĩnh cửu hiện đang tan dần đều, trong đó lớp đất bên trên tan theo mùa đang dần dày hơn và ăn sâu hơn vào lòng đất.
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.