PTE Academic Reading Practice Test 2 (with Answers)

Type 1 · Fill in the Blanks (Dropdown)

Click each blank and choose the correct word from its dropdown menu.

Renewable Energy Cooperatives in Rural Communities

In several rural regions, communities have begun forming renewable energy cooperatives, which allow local residents to collectively solar or wind installations rather than relying solely on large utility companies. Members typically a modest sum to become part-owners of the shared installation, and in return receive a portion of the electricity generated. traditional utility ownership, cooperative models keep profits circulating within the local community rather than flowing to distant shareholders. , cooperatives can face challenges securing the significant upfront capital needed for construction, often requiring loans or government grants. Despite this hurdle, several rural cooperatives successfully reduced local electricity costs while creating a small, steady source of community income.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

বেশ কিছু গ্রামীণ অঞ্চলে সম্প্রদায়গুলো নবায়নযোগ্য জ্বালানি সমবায় গঠন করছে, যা স্থানীয় বাসিন্দাদের যৌথভাবে সৌর বা বায়ু বিদ্যুৎ স্থাপনার মালিক হতে দেয়। সদস্যরা একটি ছোট অঙ্ক বিনিয়োগ করে আংশিক মালিক হন এবং বিনিময়ে উৎপাদিত বিদ্যুতের একটি অংশ পান। ঐতিহ্যবাহী ইউটিলিটি মালিকানার বিপরীতে, সমবায় মডেল মুনাফা স্থানীয় সম্প্রদায়ের মধ্যে রাখে। তবে, নির্মাণের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় প্রাথমিক পুঁজি সংগ্রহে সমবায়গুলো চ্যালেঞ্জের মুখোমুখি হতে পারে। এই বাধা সত্ত্বেও, বেশ কয়েকটি গ্রামীণ সমবায় সফলভাবে স্থানীয় বিদ্যুৎ খরচ কমিয়েছে।

Type 2 · Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Read each passage and select all the options that are correct — more than one answer may be right.

Blue Light and Sleep

Prolonged exposure to blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets and computer screens in the hours before bedtime has been linked in several studies to disrupted sleep patterns. Blue light appears to suppress the body's production of melatonin, a hormone that signals to the brain that it is time to sleep, more strongly than light from other parts of the visible spectrum. Some device manufacturers have responded by introducing "night mode" settings that shift screen colours toward warmer tones in the evening, though research on how effectively these settings restore normal melatonin production remains limited and somewhat mixed. Sleep researchers generally recommend reducing overall screen use in the hour before bed as a more reliable strategy than relying on night mode settings alone.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Blue light suppresses melatonin production more strongly than other visible light. Night mode settings have been proven completely effective at eliminating sleep disruption. Sleep researchers recommend reducing screen use before bed as more reliable than night mode alone. Melatonin production causes screens to emit more blue light. All smartphone manufacturers have entirely removed blue light from their screens.

The Economics of Fast Fashion

The rapid growth of "fast fashion" — inexpensive clothing produced quickly in response to the latest trends — has transformed the global clothing industry over the past two decades. Retailers following this model can move a design from sketch to store shelf in a matter of weeks rather than the months traditionally required, allowing them to constantly refresh inventory and encourage frequent purchasing. This speed and low cost come with hidden expenses, however: garment workers in fast fashion supply chains are frequently paid wages far below a living wage, and the low cost of individual items has been linked to sharply increased volumes of textile waste, since inexpensive clothing is more readily discarded than higher-quality garments. Some fashion companies have introduced clothing recycling or resale programmes in response to growing criticism, though environmental groups argue these initiatives address only a small fraction of the industry's overall waste.

According to the passage, which TWO statements are true?

Fast fashion allows retailers to move designs from sketch to shelf much faster than before. Low-cost fast fashion has been linked to increased volumes of textile waste. All fast fashion companies pay their garment workers a full living wage. Recycling programmes have entirely eliminated the fast fashion industry's waste problem. Fast fashion production takes longer than traditional clothing production methods.

Type 3 · Reorder Paragraphs

Drag the paragraphs into the correct order, or use the ▲▼ buttons.

The History of the Suez Canal

This reduction in travel time and distance made the canal enormously important to global trade, and control over the waterway became a matter of significant strategic and political interest to major powers.

Although proposals to connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas date back to antiquity, the modern Suez Canal was constructed between 1859 and 1869, under the direction of French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps.

In 1956, tensions over this control culminated in the Suez Crisis, when Egypt's nationalisation of the canal prompted a brief military intervention by Britain, France and Israel.

The canal's completion dramatically shortened shipping routes between Europe and Asia, eliminating the need for ships to sail entirely around the southern tip of Africa.

How Coral Polyps Build Reefs

Because reef growth depends on a delicate balance of water temperature, light and chemistry, disruptions such as ocean warming can halt this centuries-long building process far more quickly than it took to create.

As individual polyps grow and reproduce, their skeletons accumulate and fuse together over time, gradually forming the complex, branching structures recognisable as a coral reef.

Coral reefs are built not by a single organism but by colonies of tiny animals called polyps, each of which secretes a hard, protective skeleton made of calcium carbonate.

This process is extremely slow, with many reef structures taking centuries or even millennia to reach their current size.

Type 4 · Fill in the Blanks (Drag and Drop)

Click a word in the box below to select it, then click the blank where it fits (or drag it directly). Two extra words will not be used.

informally hazardous extract components regulations avoided disposed

The Growth of E-Waste Recycling

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is one of the fastest-growing categories of waste worldwide, driven by the short replacement cycles of smartphones, computers and other devices. A significant share of discarded electronics in developing countries is processed _____, often by workers using rudimentary tools to extract valuable metals such as gold and copper from old circuit boards. This informal recycling can expose workers to _____ materials, including lead and mercury, without adequate protective equipment. Formal recycling facilities, by contrast, use specialised processes to safely _____ valuable _____ while properly containing toxic substances. Governments in several countries have introduced _____ requiring manufacturers to fund the proper recycling of the products they sell, a policy sometimes called extended producer responsibility.

📖 বাংলা অনুবাদ · Bangla translation

ইলেকট্রনিক বর্জ্য (e-waste) বিশ্বব্যাপী দ্রুততম বর্ধনশীল বর্জ্যের একটি ধরন। উন্নয়নশীল দেশগুলোতে একটি উল্লেখযোগ্য অংশ অনানুষ্ঠানিকভাবে প্রক্রিয়াজাত করা হয়, যেখানে শ্রমিকরা মূল্যবান ধাতু বের করতে সাধারণ সরঞ্জাম ব্যবহার করেন। এই অনানুষ্ঠানিক পুনর্ব্যবহার শ্রমিকদের বিপজ্জনক পদার্থের সংস্পর্শে আনতে পারে। আনুষ্ঠানিক পুনর্ব্যবহার কেন্দ্রগুলো বিশেষায়িত প্রক্রিয়া ব্যবহার করে নিরাপদে মূল্যবান উপাদান বের করে। বেশ কয়েকটি দেশের সরকার নির্মাতাদের জন্য প্রবিধান চালু করেছে।

Type 5 · Multiple Choice, Single Answer

Read each passage and select the single best answer.

The Discovery of Insulin

Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes was almost universally fatal, typically within a few years of onset. Researchers Frederick Banting and Charles Best, working at the University of Toronto, successfully isolated insulin from animal pancreases and demonstrated that injections of the hormone could dramatically lower blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. Their first successful human trial, involving a critically ill fourteen-year-old patient in early 1922, produced almost immediate improvement, and news of the treatment spread rapidly. Banting and his supervisor, John Macleod, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923, though Banting controversially shared his portion of the prize money with Best, who he felt had been unfairly excluded from the award.

What did Banting do after receiving the Nobel Prize, according to the passage?

He refused to accept the prize on moral grounds. He shared his portion of the prize money with Best. He returned the prize to the Nobel committee entirely. He donated the prize money to diabetes research charities.

Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Buildings

Adaptive reuse, the practice of repurposing old industrial buildings such as former factories or warehouses for new uses like housing, offices or cultural venues, has become increasingly popular in cities seeking to preserve historic architecture while meeting modern needs. Proponents argue that adaptive reuse is often more environmentally sustainable than demolition and new construction, since it avoids the substantial carbon emissions associated with producing new building materials. Converting an industrial building can also be faster and cheaper than building from scratch, since the existing structural frame, and sometimes distinctive architectural features, can often be retained. Critics note, however, that older industrial buildings frequently require costly structural upgrades to meet modern safety and energy-efficiency codes, and that adaptive reuse projects can sometimes accelerate gentrification in surrounding neighbourhoods.

According to the passage, why do proponents consider adaptive reuse more environmentally sustainable?

It always costs less money than any other type of construction project. It avoids the substantial carbon emissions associated with producing new building materials. It automatically meets all modern safety and energy-efficiency codes. It eliminates the risk of neighbourhood gentrification entirely.

PTE Reading Practice Test 2