PTE Select Missing Word practice: 12 recordings with answers

For centuries, surfing has been deeply woven into Hawaiian tradition. In ancient times, it was far more than a leisure activity. It functioned as a physical training regimen designed to keep chiefs in peak condition. Chiefs proved their authority through their prowess on the waves, while commoners earned respect based on their ocean performance. Additionally, surfing acted as a method for settling disputes. Young men would challenge one another in intense contests, where riches, reputation, and even romantic prospects [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Choose the option that best completes the recording.

1. Awere ignored
2. Bwere celebrated
3. Cwere at stake
4. Dwere invented

In the early days, jazz musicians performed across many towns and cities in the southern United States. New Orleans, with its deep roots in African American musical heritage, was the birthplace of many jazz pioneers. After World War I, these musicians moved northward along with the broader African American migration. Chicago soon emerged as the first major national hub for jazz. From there, the music spread widely and even defined the 1920s, often called the Jazz Age. Jazz, which blends African American folk traditions with popular music and European classical influences, has been described as America's [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a beep replaces the missing word or phrase. Choose the option that correctly completes the recording.

1. Apopular music
2. Bclassical music
3. Cdistinctive music
4. Dpatriotic music

Volcanic eruptions are among the most powerful and destructive natural events on Earth. They occur when magma from beneath the Earth's crust rises to the surface. The magma is formed by the melting of rock in the mantle, often due to the movement of tectonic plates. When the pressure builds up enough, the magma forces its way through cracks and vents, erupting as lava, ash, and gases. The style of eruption can vary greatly. Some eruptions are relatively gentle, producing slow-moving lava flows, while others are explosive, sending ash and rock high into the atmosphere. The explosiveness depends on the magma's viscosity and gas content. High-viscosity magma traps gas bubbles, leading to violent eruptions. Volcanic activity can create new landforms, such as islands and mountains, but it also poses serious hazards to nearby communities. Understanding the signs of an impending eruption is crucial for early [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Choose the option that correctly completes the recording.

1. Adetection
2. Bwarning
3. Cresponse
4. Drecovery

Parents and other adults with whom children have close contact have a powerful influence on children's food preferences. Children are very sensitive to the reactions of those around them. And if they see others enjoying a particular food, they will be inclined more favourably towards that food. Thus, if parents want to persuade their children to eat more vegetables than rather than simply telling them what to eat, it's more effective to demonstrate that they themselves ... [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording the lost word or group of words has been replaced by a beep. Select the correct option to complete the recording.

1. Ahas health benefits
2. Bis recommended by doctors
3. Ceat plenty of vegetables every day
4. Dcontains natural sugars

We've always had an attention economy. Whether it was radio or television, there has always been a race for our focus, and it's a zero-sum game. If one station captures more of your focus, another gets less. But now, because we spend more and more time on screens and so many things are competing for our focus, we really feel the strain. In this new media environment, every platform competes to claim your [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Choose the option that best completes the recording.

1. Aattention
2. Bdata
3. Cmoney

Atmospheric pressure can hold up a column of water about ten meters high, yet plants are able to transport water far higher. The sequoia tree, for instance, can lift water to its top, which is over one hundred meters above the ground. Until the late 1800s, how water moved in trees and other tall plants was not understood. Some botanists thought that living cells in plants worked like pumps, but tests showed that plants with all their cells killed could still raise water to considerable heights. Other theories pointed to root pressure, a push on the water from the roots at the base of the plant. However, root pressure is nowhere near strong enough to force water to the tops of tall trees. In addition, conifers, which include some of the tallest trees, have remarkably low [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Choose the correct option to complete the recording.

1. Apush forces
2. Bair support
3. Croot pressures
4. Dfluid tension

Research indicates that while genetics play a role in shaping your personality, many other influences are at work. A common framework for studying personality is the five-factor model, often called the Big Five. It organizes traits into five broad dimensions: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and neuroticism—the last of which is sometimes referred to as emotional stability. The expression of these traits in an individual tends to remain fairly consistent over time. However, it is not fixed; personality can shift across the lifespan. For instance, evidence suggests that people often grow more conscientious as they get older. Similarly, major life changes, such as entering a marriage, have been linked to gains in emotional stability. So, indeed, your personality can [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Choose the option that best completes the recording.

1. Astay the same
2. Bbe inherited
3. Cchange
4. Dbe categorized

The initial study employing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression was quite remarkable. Conducted at Oxford University, it involved individuals whose depression is so extreme that no treatment works—medication fails, electroconvulsive therapy fails, and psychiatry is at a loss. These people experience deep depression, recover, and then relapse. For this group, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy was used, and it reduced the relapse rate by 50 percent. If this were a medication, a pharmaceutical firm would earn billions, but it's not a drug; it's essentially free. Thus, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is highly effective for [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording the lost word or group of words has been replaced by a beep. Select the correct option to complete the recording.

1. Adepression
2. Bmedication
3. Crecurrence
4. Dcorporations

Research suggests that some are more susceptible than others, especially those who are self-conscious, anxious, and afraid of being judged negatively by others. So, how can we avoid choking when it really counts? First, it helps to practice under stressful conditions. In a study on expert dart players, researchers found that those who hadn’t practiced under stress performed worse when anxious compared to those who had become accustomed to pressure. Secondly, many performers extol the virtues of a pre-performance routine, whether it’s taking a few deep breaths, repeating a cue word, or doing a rhythmic sequence of movements, studies on golfing, bowling, and water polo, find that short rituals can lead to more consistent and accurate performance under [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording the lost word or group of words has been replaced by a beep. Select the correct option to complete the recording.

1. Atheir breath
2. Bwater
3. Cpressure
4. Dduress

Researchers have discovered that it may be possible to enhance the part of the learning process that occurs while we sleep. Sleep is essential for forming and keeping memories. During your waking hours, you absorb a great deal of new information, picking up facts and experiences simply by going through your daily routine. This is when your brain encodes memories, forming fresh links between neurons so you can recall that information later. Then, once you fall asleep, your brain enters the consolidation stage of memory formation. Scientists don't fully understand the mechanism, but they believe your brain transforms everything you recently learned into durable, long-term memories by reactivating them and reinforcing those [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording, a word or phrase has been replaced by a beep. Choose the option that correctly completes the recording.

1. Arecollections
2. Bvocabulary items and their meanings
3. Cneural pathways
4. Dhousehold groups

By now a lot has been said about the marshmallow test. You guys probably know about this where children are asked you can eat this one marshmallow now or if you wait until I come back you can get two marshmallows. People talk about this in terms of the resolution that little kids have and how good they are at resisting temptation and stuff but there’s something that’s often overlooked here which is that one of the most common strategies that kids use was simply covering their eyes. Just clapping their hands over their eyes so they’re not looking at the marshmallow. And it turns out that’s a very effective strategy. And so when we think about minimizing temptations whatever your temptations are in life just think about the ways that you can actually contractually minimize that temptation so it’s not there, not a fake thing or anything. Oh yeah, if it’s in the back of the cabinet I won’t do it but like actually get rid of the [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording the lost word or group of words has been replaced by a beep. Select the correct option to complete the recording.

1. Atemptation
2. Bmarshmallow
3. Ckids
4. Dtest

We all get depressed, bad stuff happens to us, we all get depressed, we feel lousy, we feel withdrawn. We feel sort of a sense of grief when we're taking much pleasure and we withdrawal and then we get better. We cope, we heal, we deal with the things in life, what’s the deal with you that you can't do that and there is this Learning sense given that all of us have periods of being depressed and come around to the end when you look at people who instead go down and stay down there to this crippled extent. There's always these little voices between the lines thereof come on, pull yourself together, we all deal with this sort of thing. I would make the argument throughout here that depression is as real of a biological disorder as this juvenile diabetes. And you don't sit down a diabetic and say oh come on, what’s would this influence that starts begging yourself and pull together you will see this is just as much of biological [[BEEP]]

At the end of the recording the lost word or group of words has been replaced by a beep. Select the correct option to complete the recording.

1. Amedicines
2. Btreatments
3. Creactions
4. Dactions
5. Edisorders