PTE Listening Practice Test 9

"In 1901, divers exploring an ancient shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera recovered a corroded lump of bronze that would later be identified as one of the most sophisticated devices to survive from antiquity. Known today as the Antikythera mechanism, this hand-cranked device used a complex system of interlocking bronze gears to predict the positions of the sun, moon, and possibly several planets, as well as the timing of eclipses and ancient athletic games. For decades after its discovery, researchers could only guess at its purpose, since no comparably sophisticated geared mechanism was known to have existed anywhere else for well over a thousand years afterward. Modern imaging techniques, including X-ray scanning, have allowed researchers to read inscriptions and reconstruct the internal gear arrangement without further damaging the fragile, corroded remains. Estimates place its construction sometime in the second century BCE, believed to have been built by Greek astronomers drawing on Babylonian astronomical data collected over centuries. The device's sophistication challenged long-held assumptions about the technological capabilities of the ancient world, since nothing of comparable mechanical complexity is known to have been built again until European clockmakers of the fourteenth century. Researchers continue to debate several details of its exact function, and new discoveries from ongoing excavations at the wreck site may yet reveal additional fragments."

অ্যান্টিকাইথেরা যন্ত্র (১৯০১ সালে ধ্বংসাবশেষে পাওয়া) সূর্য, চাঁদ ও গ্রহের অবস্থান এবং গ্রহণ পূর্বাভাস দিতে ব্রোঞ্জের গিয়ার ব্যবহার করত। খ্রিস্টপূর্ব দ্বিতীয় শতাব্দীতে নির্মিত, এটি প্রাচীন যুগের প্রযুক্তিগত ধারণা পাল্টে দিয়েছে।

"Urban trees provide substantial benefits to city residents beyond simple aesthetic appeal. A well-established tree canopy can lower surrounding air temperatures by several degrees through shading and transpiration, significantly reducing a neighbourhood's vulnerability to dangerous summer heatwaves. Trees also filter airborne pollutants, and studies in several cities have linked greater tree coverage to measurably lower rates of respiratory illness among nearby residents. However, urban trees require ongoing maintenance, since falling branches or, in rare cases, entire trees toppling during storms can pose safety risks to pedestrians, vehicles and property, particularly if trees are not regularly inspected and pruned. Many cities have adopted tree-management programmes that combine expanding canopy coverage in historically under-planted neighbourhoods with routine safety inspections of older, larger trees."

"Several cities and regions around the world have conducted pilot programmes testing universal basic income, in which participants receive a fixed, unconditional cash payment regardless of employment status. Early results from several of these trials suggest that recipients did not, as some critics predicted, significantly reduce their working hours; instead, many used the additional financial security to pursue further education, start small businesses, or search more selectively for better-matching jobs rather than accepting the first available position out of financial desperation. Reported measures of stress and mental health also improved among many participants during these trials. However, most pilot programmes have been relatively short-term and limited to a small number of participants, and economists caution that a permanent, nationwide programme could have different effects on inflation, labour markets and government budgets than a temporary, localised trial."

"Asteroid mining, the concept of extracting valuable minerals and metals from asteroids for use in space or transport back to Earth, has attracted significant commercial interest due to the enormous quantities of rare metals believed to exist within some near-Earth asteroids. In theory, a single metal-rich asteroid could contain minerals worth far more than the entire current value of the global mining industry. However, the technology required to identify a suitable target, travel to it, extract material, and return it economically remains extremely expensive and largely undeveloped at commercial scale. Additionally, international space law remains unclear on questions of ownership: while a 1967 treaty prohibits any nation from claiming sovereignty over celestial bodies, it does not clearly address whether a private company can legally own and sell resources extracted from an asteroid, leaving significant legal uncertainty for potential investors."

"Due to the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, Mount Everest is still growing today, gaining approximately four millimetres in height every year."