New World Record Set for the Loudest Human Shout
人類最大分貝尖叫聲創下世界新紀錄
Introduction
Guinness World Records has officially recognized Joseph McGrail-Bateup, a resident of Canberra, for achieving the highest decibel level ever recorded for a single human shout.
金氏世界紀錄已正式認可堪培拉居民 Joseph McGrail-Bateup，他創下了單人尖叫最高分貝的紀錄。
Main Body
The record was set on May 2 in a Canberra radio studio, where a professional acoustic engineer measured a shout of the word 'now' at 122.4 decibels. This result beats the previous record of 121.7 decibels, which was set in 1994 by Annalisa Flanagan. To put this into perspective, the volume of this shout is similar to the sound of a jet aircraft taking off or an emergency siren.
該紀錄於 5 月 2 日在堪培拉的一間廣播電台錄音室創下，當時由專業聲學工程師測量，他大聲喊出 "now" 一詞，分貝達 122.4。這項結果打破了 1994 年由 Annalisa Flanagan 創下的 121.7 分貝紀錄。為了讓大家有概念，這次尖叫的音量與噴射機起飛或緊急警報聲相似。
Mr. McGrail-Bateup's achievement is connected to his work with the Ancient and Honorable Guild of Australian Town Criers. Since 2017, he has served as Canberra's official town crier, known ceremonially as 'Lord Joseph.' He has also won a guild competition in 2024 for the loudest delivery of the traditional 'Oyez' announcement, which reached 98 decibels.
McGrail-Bateup 先生的成就與他在「澳洲古老且榮譽之城報官公會」的工作有關。自 2017 年起，他擔任堪培拉的官方城報官，儀式稱號為 "Lord Joseph"。他還在 2024 年贏得一場公會競賽，以最高分貝喊出傳統的 "Oyez" 公告，達到 98 分貝。
Regarding the attempt, Mr. McGrail-Bateup emphasized that this skill cannot be learned through normal training because it causes too much strain on the voice. In fact, it took seven attempts to reach the record, and he lost his voice for several days afterward. Furthermore, he suggested that the record should be divided by gender, so that both he and Ms. Flanagan could be recognized as the loudest male and female. This is his second world record, following a 2019 achievement in fast archery, although that record was later broken by a younger competitor.
關於這次嘗試，McGrail-Bateup 先生強調這種技巧無法透過正常訓練習得，因為對聲帶造成過大壓力。事實上，他嘗試了七次才創下紀錄，且之後失聲了數日。此外，他建議應將紀錄按性別區分，這樣他與 Flanagan 小姐都能被認可為分貝最高的男女。這是他的第二個世界紀錄，第一個是 2019 年在快速射箭方面的成就，儘管該紀錄隨後被一名更年輕的參賽者打破。
Conclusion
Mr. McGrail-Bateup now holds the record for the loudest individual shout, although he stated that he does not mind if someone else breaks the record in the future.
McGrail-Bateup 先生目前持有單人尖叫最高分貝的紀錄，儘管他表示，如果未來有人打破此紀錄，他並不介意。
Vocabulary Learning
🚀 The 'Comparison Jump': Moving from Basic to Descriptive
An A2 student usually says: "The shout was very loud."
To reach B2, you need to use Comparative Context. Instead of just using adjectives (loud, big, fast), you link your fact to a real-world example to create a mental image for the reader.
Look at this phrase from the text:
*"To put this into perspective, the volume of this shout is similar to the sound of a jet aircraft taking off..."
💡 The B2 Logic: "To put this into perspective"
This is a powerful phrase. It tells the reader: "I know this number (122.4 decibels) doesn't mean anything to you, so I will compare it to something you already know."
How to steal this for your own speaking:
- A2 Style: "My city is very big."
- B2 Style: "My city is huge. To put this into perspective, it has more people than the entire population of some small countries."
🛠️ Linguistic Nuance: The "Although" Pivot
Notice how the article handles contradictions. An A2 learner often uses 'but' repeatedly. A B2 learner uses concession markers like although to make sentences feel more fluid and professional.
The Text's Pattern: "...that record was later broken by a younger competitor." *"...although he stated that he does not mind if someone else breaks the record..."
The Trick: Place although at the start of a clause to show that the second piece of information makes the first piece less surprising or more complex.
Try replacing 'but' with 'although':
- ❌ "I studied hard, but I failed the test."
- ✅ "Although I studied hard, I failed the test."
🔍 Vocab Upgrade: 'Achievement' vs. 'Thing'
In the text, the author doesn't call the shout a "win" or a "thing"; they call it an achievement.
- A2: "He did a great thing."
- B2: "His achievement is connected to his work..."
Use 'achievement' when the result required skill, effort, or courage.