We’ve spent a lot of money over the last 70…
Read the text aloud.
We’ve spent a lot of money over the last 70 years on flood control, and it’s protected millions of people and has saved us billions of dollars. We’ve built dams to hold back the waters. We’ve built levees to keep the water off the people, and we’ve raised the ones that were originally started in 1718.
Pause plan and hard words
Pause plan (/ short pause, // longer pause)
We’ve spent a lot of money / over the last 70 years / on flood control, // and it’s protected millions of people / and has saved us billions of dollars. // We’ve built dams / to hold back the waters. // We’ve built levees / to keep the water off the people, // and we’ve raised the ones / that were originally started in 1718.
56 words, aim for 22–25 seconds. Say 70 as "seventy" and 1718 as "seventeen eighteen". Breathe after control, dollars, waters and people; the last clause runs to the end.
Words to practise
| Word | Stress |
|---|---|
| originally | o·RI·gi·nal·ly /ɚˈɪdʒənəli/ |
| protected | pro·TEC·ted /prəˈtɛktɪd/ |
| control | con·TROL /kənˈtroʊl/ |
RealPTE numbers
- Student reports: Common (6 reports)
From RealPTE practice records and students’ “I sat this” reports, counted weekly (last count 2026-10-21). Reports are what students tell us; predictions are not guaranteed.
Questions about this question
What is the answer to PTE Read Aloud #010414?
Read it in sense groups: pause briefly at the single slashes and a little longer at the double slashes in the plan above. Practise originally, protected, control first.
How do I get full marks on this Read Aloud question?
Read every word as written, pause at the sense-group boundaries and stress the right syllables. Content counts the words you read correctly; fluency and pronunciation are scored too.
Can I practise #010414 with scoring?
Yes. The practice button on this page opens question #010414 in the RealPTE practice screen, where your answer is scored when you finish.
Opens question #010414 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
We’ve spent a lot of money|over the last 70 years|on flood control,‖and it’s protected millions of people|and has saved us billions of dollars.‖We’ve built dams|to hold back the waters.‖We’ve built levees|to keep the water off the people,‖and we’ve raised the ones|that were originally started in 1718.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Words to stress correctly
| originally | o·RI·gi·nal·ly | /ɚˈɪdʒənəli/ |
| protected | pro·TEC·ted | /prəˈtɛktɪd/ |
| control | con·TROL | /kənˈtroʊl/ |
56 words, aim for 22–25 seconds. Say 70 as "seventy" and 1718 as "seventeen eighteen". Breathe after control, dollars, waters and people; the last clause runs to the end.
Where marks are usually lost
Stress con·TROL, pro·TEC·ted and o·RI·gi·nal·ly on the second syllable. Keep the -s on millions, billions, dams, levees and the -ed on protected, saved, raised, started. Don't pause before 1718.
General tip: Read We’ve and it’s as one smooth word each; do not expand them to "we have".
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 过去70年里，我们在防洪上花了很多钱，它保护了数百万人，为我们节省了数十亿美元。我们修建了水坝来拦住洪水。我们修建了堤坝让水远离人群，并且加高了那些最初于1718年开始修建的堤坝。
हिन्दी: पिछले 70 वर्षों में हमने बाढ़ नियंत्रण पर बहुत पैसा खर्च किया है, और इसने लाखों लोगों की रक्षा की है और हमारे अरबों डॉलर बचाए हैं। हमने पानी को रोकने के लिए बाँध बनाए हैं। हमने लोगों से पानी दूर रखने के लिए तटबंध बनाए हैं, और उन तटबंधों को ऊँचा किया है जो मूल रूप से 1718 में शुरू किए गए थे।
नेपाली: विगत ७० वर्षमा हामीले बाढी नियन्त्रणमा धेरै पैसा खर्च गरेका छौं, र यसले करोडौं मानिसलाई जोगाएको छ र हाम्रा अर्बौं डलर बचाएको छ। हामीले पानी थुन्न बाँधहरू बनाएका छौं। हामीले मानिसहरूबाट पानी टाढा राख्न तटबन्धहरू बनाएका छौं, र सन् १७१८ मा सुरु गरिएका पुराना तटबन्धहरू अग्ला बनाएका छौं।
Tiếng Việt: Chúng ta đã chi rất nhiều tiền trong 70 năm qua cho việc kiểm soát lũ lụt, và nó đã bảo vệ hàng triệu người và tiết kiệm cho chúng ta hàng tỷ đô la. Chúng ta đã xây đập để chặn nước. Chúng ta đã xây đê để giữ nước xa khỏi người dân, và đã nâng cao những con đê ban đầu được khởi công vào năm 1718.
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.