Can OSX Read Text Aloud?

Should be possible.

Highlight words, go to the menu, Pages > Services > Speech > Start Speaking Text.

 

It is possible for all of Mac OS X (in any native application)...

System Preferences-> Speech-> Spoken User Interface​

Under "Other spoken items" check "Selected text when the key is pressed..." and then select a key combination (I use cmd+j).

This means that you can have text anywhere in Mac OS X spoken... I listen to news articles online, long posts by people, etc. I also use it to proof read post and e-mail (pretty much anything I write) before sending them off to be read by others.

Infact it was this feature of Mac OS X (more than just about any other) that moved me away from Mac OS 8/9 (where I used to write everything in Simple Text in order to have my writing proof read).

So after five years or so, I can't imagine writing on any other system other than Mac OS X now.

My system's default voice is Fred, and I noticed that in 10.3 and later the voice needs to be sped up just a little (not sure why that changed... but it was a change in the speech engine and not the Fred voice file.

 

Every Macintosh ever made since 1984 could do this.