主播：Wilson-英语口语培训师
地点：成都

相信很多朋友都在某些和英伦文化相关的场景中见过这样一幅海报——在一个皇冠图示下，五个大写的英文单词依次向下排列，KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON，图案颜色和背景色都很单一，整个海报简洁明了。

这幅著名海报《保持冷静，继续前进》被誉为英国精神的象征，而关于它的历史，还要追溯到二战初期。当时英国政府为鼓舞民众对抗侵略，设计了三张系列海报。其中的两张被广为印发，而最后一张的本意是在战争失利后发行，提醒英国民众保持自己的尊严，寄希望于前方。然而最终纳粹德国没有得逞，这份海报也就随之销声匿迹了。

In the spring of 1939 during the build up to war with Germany, the British government commissioned a series of propaganda posters. These posters were intended to offer the public reassurance on the dark days that lay ahead. They were required to be uniform in style and were to feature a special and handsome typeface making it difficult for the enemy to counterfeit. They used the crown of King George the 6th as the only graphic device and had just two colours.

Of the three final designs that went into production, the first poster carried the slogan "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory". The second poster had the words "Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might". But the third design, of which over two and a half million posters were printed, simply read "Keep Calm and Carry on".

The first two designs were distributed in September of 1939 and appeared up and down the country in shop windows and railway platforms. But the Keep Calm posters were held in reserve intended for use only in times of crisis or invasion. In the end, the posters were never officially issued and remained unseen by the public until a copy turned up more than 50 years later. It was found in a second hand bookshop called Barter Books in the North East corner of England.

Barter Books was begun in 1991 by a couple, Stuart and Mary Manley. The building used to be an old Victorian railway station. Huge rows of stacked shelves now stand in the place where the tracks would have been. But the station&`&s old tea rooms and waiting rooms are still there.

It was in 2000 that Stuart found the poster in a box of dusty old books that have been bought at auction. Mary liked it so much she had it framed and put it up in the shop till, and it proved so popular with the customers that a year later they began to sell copies. Since that time the poster has been reproduced, parodied and trivialized and it has become a truly iconic image of the 21st century.

It is hard to say exactly why such a phrase from a bygone decade would have so much appeal and resonance now. Its design is considered simple and timeless and now commonly recognisable. However, it is perhaps the words on the poster that people find the most enchanting. Like a voice out of history, it offers a very simple warmhearted message to inspire confidence in others during difficult times, and it is something that should never fade from fashion --- to KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON.

直到半个多世纪之后，在英国东北部的一家书店里，这份海报无意中被发现，从此重回公众的视线。无论是它的历史还是它文字的意义都给当时的人们带来了震撼的鼓舞，热情点说就是“有一种让人泪流满面的力量”。这一海报也完美的诠释了英国人的性格，低调、勇敢、略显刻板。在它重见天日后的这些年里，也多次在不同的重要场合再次被提及，在英国人面临困难和风险时，不断地鼓舞着他们“保持冷静，继续前进”。


垫乐：
Compilation - Hey Jude
Musicians From The Grenadier, Coldstream, Scottish, Irish & Welsh Guards - God Save The Queen（英国国歌）
Musicians From The Grenadier, Coldstream, Scottish, Irish & Welsh Guards - The Welshman
Compilation - We Will Rock You

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