The Loudest Shout in the World
The Loudest Shout in the World
全世界最響亮的叫聲
Introduction
Joseph McGrail-Bateup from Canberra has a new world record. He has the loudest shout in the world.
來自坎培拉的 Joseph McGrail-Bateup 創下了新的世界紀錄。他擁有全世界最響亮的叫聲。
Main Body
Joseph shouted the word 'now' in a studio. His shout was 122.4 decibels. This is louder than a jet plane. He beat the old record from 1994.
Joseph 在錄音室大聲喊出「now」這個詞。他的叫聲達到 122.4 分貝，比噴射機還要響。他打破了 1994 年的舊紀錄。
Joseph is a town crier. This is his job. He shouts news to people in the street. He won another loud shouting contest in 2024.
Joseph 是一名城市喊號人。這是他的工作，他會在街道上向人們大聲公布新聞。他在 2024 年贏得了另一場大聲叫喊比賽。
He tried seven times to get the record. His throat hurt for many days. He says people cannot train for this. He also had a record for fast archery in 2019.
他嘗試了七次才拿到紀錄。他的喉嚨痛了好幾天。他說這項能力無法透過訓練獲得。他在 2019 年也曾擁有快速射箭的紀錄。
Conclusion
Joseph is now the loudest man in the world. He does not mind if someone beats his record in the future.
Joseph 現在是全世界最響亮的男人。即便未來有人打破他的紀錄，他也不在意。
Vocabulary Learning
📢 The 'Past' Secret
Look at how we talk about things that already happened in the story. We just add -ed to the end of the action word.
- shout shouted
- beat (Special word! It stays beat)
- try tried
🏗️ Sentence Building
To make a sentence, follow this simple map:
Person Action Thing
- Joseph has a record.
- He shouts news.
💡 Word Tips
'Now' = This moment. 'Future' = The time after today.
Vocabulary Learning
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.
Vocabulary Learning
Establishment of New Global Acoustic Maximum for Individual Vocalization
刷新個人發聲全球最高分貝紀錄
Introduction
Guinness World Records has formally 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來自坎貝拉的 Joseph McGrail-Bateup，因其創下單人尖叫最高分貝的紀錄。
Main Body
The record was established on May 2 within a Canberra radio studio, where a professional acoustic engineer documented a vocalization of the word 'now' reaching 122.4 decibels. This measurement exceeds the previous benchmark of 121.7 decibels, which had been maintained since 1994 by Annalisa Flanagan. The acoustic intensity of the current record is comparable to the proximity of a jet aircraft during takeoff or an emergency siren.
此紀錄於 5 月 2 日在坎貝拉的一間廣播工作室建立，當時由一名專業聲學工程師記錄其大喊「now」達到 122.4 分貝。此測量值超越了 Annalisa Flanagan 自 1994 年起維持的 121.7 分貝基準。目前紀錄的聲學強度與近距離觀看噴射機起飛或緊急警報聲相當。
Mr. McGrail-Bateup's pursuit of this metric is linked to his professional affiliation with the Ancient and Honorable Guild of Australian Town Criers. Since 2017, he has occupied the honorary position of Canberra's official town crier, operating under the ceremonial designation 'Lord Joseph.' His prior competitive success includes a 2024 guild victory for the loudest execution of the traditional 'Oyez' proclamation, measured at 98 decibels.
Mr. McGrail-Bateup 追求此指標與其在「澳洲古老且光榮的城市喊聲官公會」的專業身份有關。自 2017 年起，他擔任坎貝拉官方喊聲官的榮譽職位，儀式名稱為 "Lord Joseph"。他之前的競賽成就包括在 2024 年公會比賽中，以 98 分貝的傳統 "Oyez" 宣告獲勝。
Regarding the methodology of the attempt, the subject asserted that the feat is not susceptible to conventional training due to the resulting vocal strain; the final record required seven iterations and induced several days of dysphonia. Furthermore, the subject has expressed a preference for a gender-specific categorization of the record, suggesting a conceptual rapprochement where both he and Ms. Flanagan retain titles as the loudest male and female, respectively. This event constitutes the subject's second global record, following a 2019 achievement in rapid archery, though that specific record was subsequently surpassed by a juvenile competitor nine months later.
關於嘗試的方法，受試者主張此成就無法透過傳統訓練達成，因為會導致聲帶過度緊繃；最終紀錄經歷了七次嘗試才完成，並導致數日的發聲困難。此外，受試者表示傾向將紀錄分為性別類別，建議將他與 Ms. Flanagan 分別保留為最響的男性與女性紀錄。這是受試者的第二項全球紀錄，此前於 2019 年創下快速射箭紀錄，但該紀錄在九個月後被一名青少年參賽者超越。
Conclusion
Mr. McGrail-Bateup currently holds the record for the loudest individual shout, though he has expressed indifference toward the long-term retention of the title.
Mr. McGrail-Bateup 目前持有單人尖叫最高分貝紀錄，儘管他表示對於長期持有該頭銜並不介意。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of Clinical Detachment
To move from B2 (competence) to C2 (mastery), a student must transition from describing events to framing them through specific rhetorical registers. This text is a goldmine for studying The Nominalization of Agency—the art of stripping personal action of its 'human' quality to create an aura of scientific or legal objectivity.
⚡ The 'De-Personalization' Pivot
Observe how the text avoids simple subject-verb-object constructions (e.g., 'Joseph shouted loudly'). Instead, it employs nominalized abstracts to distance the observer from the actor:
- "Establishment of New Global Acoustic Maximum" The act of establishing becomes a static 'establishment' (a noun).
- "The pursuit of this metric" Rather than saying 'He tried to break the record,' the desire is transformed into a conceptual 'pursuit.'
- "Conceptual rapprochement" A high-level C2 phrase where a simple 'agreement' or 'compromise' is elevated to a diplomatic, intellectual process.
🖋️ Lexical Precision: The 'Academic Coldness' Scale
C2 mastery requires the ability to choose words that imply a level of formality that borders on the clinical. Compare these pairs:
| B2/C1 (Standard) | C2 (Clinical/Formal) | Contextual Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Voice loss | Dysphonia | Pathologizes the condition |
| Goal/Target | Benchmark | Shifts from ambition to measurement |
| Way of doing | Methodology | Implies a systemic, scientific approach |
| Connection | Affiliation | Formalizes a social link into an institutional one |
The Masterstroke: The use of "The subject asserted" instead of "He said." By referring to the protagonist as "the subject," the author adopts the persona of a researcher observing a specimen. This is the pinnacle of formal register: the complete erasure of the individual in favor of the data point.