Read Aloud

For this item type you need to read a written text aloud.

The recording status box displays a countdown until the microphone opens. You have 30-40 seconds to prepare, depending on the length of the passage. You hear a short tone. After the tone, start speaking immediately. Do not start speaking before the microphone opens because your voice will not be recorded.

You should speak clearly. There is no need to rush.

Finish speaking before the progress bar reaches the end. The word “Recording” changes to “Completed”.

You are only able to record your response once.

  1. Domestication is an evolutionary, rather than a political, development. They were more likely to survive and  prosper in an alliance with humans than on their own. Humans provided the animals with food and protection, in exchange for which the animals provided the humans their milk and eggs and their flesh.
  1. Akimbo, this must be one of the odder-looking words in the language and puzzles us in part because it doesn’t seem to have any What’s more, it is now virtually a fossil word, until recently almost invariably found in arms akimbo, a posture in which a person stands with hands on hips and elbows sharply bent outward, one that signals impatience, hostility or contempt.
  1. The problem begins with the alphabet itself. Building a spelling system for English using letters that come from Latin – despite the two languages not sharing exactly the same set of sounds – is like building a playroom using an IKEA office Set
  1. Modern buildings have to achieve certain performance requirements, at least to satisfy those of building codes, to provide a safe, healthy, and comfortable environment. However, these conditioned environments demand resources in energy and materials, which are both limited in supply, to build and operate
  1. Three professors from Hamburg University’s medical faculty travelled last month to Ingeborg’s sitting room in East Berlin to test her on the work she carried out in pre-war Germany
  1. This finding is understandable in certain cases in spite of its high significance; that is because energy efficiency of building operation just represents a single aspect of sustainability
  1. The numbers on US student debt, after all, are truly The average 2015 US university graduate who took out loans to help pay for tuition enters the workforce with $35,000 in student debt.
  1. The insults and criticism were not unexpected. What was surprising was people’s enthusiasm about the competition. Thousands have participated in the discussion.
  1. Who do you think is the most glamorous person? A biotechnologist who led his company in international research, an ordinary welder who gained international fame through his work, or a photographer complimented widely for a series of photos?
  1. In the photo, the wild cat’s huge paws are clamped onto the side of the white safari Jeep in which Chappell was a passenger. Almost as tall as the Jeep on her hind legs, she appears to be forcing her muzzle into the back window.
  1. The Office of Personnel Management was the target of the attack, but data from nearly every government agency was stolen. U.S. investigators say they believe Chinese hackers were behind the breach.
  1. While the Republican field is packed with male candidates, so far, some of the sharpest Clinton critiques have come from women.
  1. Global warming is defined as an increase in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. This trend began in the middle of the 20th century and is one of the major environmental concerns of scientists and governmental officials worldwide. The changes in temperature result mostly from the effect of increased concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
  1. As far as politics go, the responses are just as varied. Mitigation is common and calls for a reduction of emissions and less reliance on fossil fuels. Coal burning power plants are now replaced with hydraulic power plants and electrical cars are replacing some gasoline efficient cars. Many people, however, feel that this is not enough.
  1. The border itself between Mexico and United States is fraught with a mix of urban and desert terrain and spans over 1,900 miles. Both the uninhabited areas of the border and urban areas are where the most drug trafficking and illegal crossings take place. Crime is prevalent in urbancities like El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California.
  1. Free trade is an economic policy under which the government does not interfere with trade. No tariffs are applied to imports or exports, and people are allowed to trade goods and services as they please. Supply and demand dictates the prices for which goods and services sell and are the only factors that determine how resources are allocated in society.
  1. Unlike the United Kingdom, which has taken a relatively restrictive approach to the possession of arms, the United States has taken a more lenient approach. In the United States, three models have evolved regarding the interpretation of the meaning of the right to bear and keep arms as delineated in the Second Amendment.
  1. Trade unions originated in Europe during the industrial revolution. Because of the machinery that had become commonplace, skilled labour became less in demand so employers had nearly all of the bargaining power. Employers mistreated the workers and paid them too little for the work they did. Trade unions were organised that would help in the improvement of working conditions.
  1. Unions take the power out of the employer’s hands on many issues. There are examples of cases where workers were engaging in sexual or racial harassment, but were protected by their unions and allowed to keep their jobs. Poor workers and excellent workers often receive the same pay and raises, giving no reason for a person to work harder than necessary at their job.
  2. Another administration option is to bake marijuana at a relatively low temperature to kill any dangerous microorganisms and then allow that patient to eat it or drink it. Both of these methods of administration make smoking the drug unnecessary. However, criticism of medical marijuana has also been raised because as a natural plant, it cannot be patented and marketed by pharmaceutical companies and is unlikely to win widespread medical acceptance.
  3. A smoking ban is a public policy that includes criminal laws and health regulations that prohibit smoking in certain public places and workspaces. There are varying definitions of smoking employed in this legislation. The strictest definitions define smoking as being the inhalation of any tobacco substance while the loosest define smoking as possessing any lit tobacco
  4. Welfare has a special political meaning to the United States because it refers to how the poor receives financial aid. In comparison, welfare services are regarded as a universal right in other regions like Europe, where it is believed that all citizens should be able to obtain a minimal level of social support and well-being.