China’s war on particulate air pollution is causing more severe…
Read the text aloud.
China’s war on particulate air pollution is causing more severe ozone pollution. According to the new research, there was so much particulate matter in the smog around Chinese cities that it helped to quell ozone production by acting as a sponge that collected chemical radicals.
Opens question #010447 in the RealPTE practice screen.
How to read it
China’s war on particulate air pollution|is causing more severe ozone pollution.‖According to the new research,|there was so much particulate matter|in the smog around Chinese cities‖that it helped to quell ozone production|by acting as a sponge|that collected chemical radicals.
| short pause ‖ breathe
Aim for 17–20 seconds.
Words to stress correctly
| particulate | par·TIC·u·late | /pɚˈtɪkjələt/ |
| production | pro·DUC·tion | /prəˈdʌkʃən/ |
| pollution | pol·LU·tion | /pəˈluʃən/ |
| according | ac·COR·ding | /əˈkɔrdɪŋ/ |
| collected | col·LEC·ted | /kəˈlɛktəd/ |
| research | re·SEARCH | /riˈsɝtʃ/ |
45 words in 17–20 seconds, no numbers. Breathe after the first pollution (the full stop) and after cities; use short pauses at the commas and before by acting.
Where marks are usually lost
All six hard words stress the second syllable: par·TIC·u·late, pol·LU·tion, ac·COR·ding, re·SEARCH, pro·DUC·tion, col·LEC·ted. Hesitating before particulate (it appears twice) or quell costs fluency. Keep the -ed in collected and helped and the -s in cities and radicals.
General tip: the second sentence is one long so much … that structure; keep the pitch up after cities so the listener hears that the sentence is not finished.
What it means: 中文 · हिन्दी · नेपाली · Tiếng Việt
中文: 中国对颗粒物空气污染的治理正导致更严重的臭氧污染。根据新的研究，中国城市周围的雾霾中曾有大量颗粒物，它们像海绵一样收集化学自由基，从而帮助抑制了臭氧的生成。
हिन्दी: चीन का कणीय वायु प्रदूषण के विरुद्ध युद्ध अधिक गंभीर ओज़ोन प्रदूषण पैदा कर रहा है। नए शोध के अनुसार, चीनी शहरों के आसपास की धुंध में इतना अधिक कणीय पदार्थ था कि उसने स्पंज की तरह रासायनिक मूलकों को सोखकर ओज़ोन के निर्माण को दबाने में मदद की।
नेपाली: चीनको कणीय वायु प्रदूषणविरुद्धको लडाइँले अझ गम्भीर ओजोन प्रदूषण निम्त्याइरहेको छ। नयाँ अनुसन्धानअनुसार, चिनियाँ सहरहरू वरिपरिको धुवाँ-कुहिरोमा यति धेरै कणीय पदार्थ थियो कि त्यसले स्पन्जझैँ रासायनिक र्याडिकलहरू सोसेर ओजोन उत्पादन दबाउन मद्दत गर्यो।
Tiếng Việt: Cuộc chiến của Trung Quốc chống ô nhiễm không khí dạng hạt đang gây ra ô nhiễm ozone nghiêm trọng hơn. Theo nghiên cứu mới, trong lớp khói mù quanh các thành phố Trung Quốc có nhiều hạt vật chất đến mức chúng hoạt động như một miếng bọt biển thu gom các gốc hóa học, nhờ đó giúp kìm hãm việc tạo ra ozone.
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.