Keep Calm and Carry On

英国大使馆文化教育处

Activity 1

Before you read， decide which word（s） （1-5） go（es） with which meaning （a-e）.

a. how you feel - for example， happy， sad， angry

b. not angry or excited

c. look or talk in a way so that people can see how you are feeling

d. something you buy when you're on holiday， to show you've been to that place

e. try to hurt somebody or something

Keep calm and carry on

A

You can see this message written on many T-shirts and other tourist souvenirs in London and the UK. It has become so famous that people often personalise it （change it so it is about them and the things they like）. “Keep calm and drink tea”， for example. “Keep calm and love dogs”. “Keep calm and learn English”. As you can see， you can change the “carry on” part for almost anything you want！

B

But what does “keep calm and carry on” mean and where does it come from？ It comes from the Second World War. It was a poster used in the UK， especially in London， to make people feel better when London was being attacked. So， really it means “don't worry and don't stop doing the things you usually do”.

C

British people have always been famous for not showing their feelings.

But are they still like this today？ Britain now is very different from how it was 60 years ago and British people probably show their feelings more than they used to. But if “keep calm and carry on” is still so famous today， then it must be something the British people still think about. They must still feel that it's important to just keep calm and carry on！

Activity 2

The story above is written in three pieces or paragraphs， A-C. How would you “name” each paragraph？ Choose 1-3 below for each paragraph， A-C.

1. Hard times

2. People change. Or do they？

3. Different messages for different times and places

Activity 3

“Carry” is a verb. “Carry on” is a verb and a preposition （“carry”： verb; “on”： preposition）. Together they make a new verb with a different meaning.

Complete the spaces in 1-8 below with just one verb， or a verb and a preposition to make a new verb. Use the verbs carry， give， pick and turn. Use each verb twice. The prepositions are on， off and up （x2）.

1. Don't stop！ Carry on！

2. He couldn't walk， so we had to carry him.

3. Don't leave it on the floor！ ________ it ________！

4. He wants to________ ________ smoking， but he can't.

5.________ it to me. I want it！

6.________ that one. It's the best and the cheapest！

7.________ ________ the light when you're not in the room.

8. You need to ________ the meat so it cooks on both sides.

Activity 4

Do you keep calm when you have a problem， or do you show your feelings？ What about other people you know？

參考答案：

Activity 1    1. e; 2. b; 3. a; 4. c; 5. d

Activity 2    1. B; 2. C; 3. A

Activity 3    3. Pick up; 4. give up; 5. Give; 6. Pick; 7. Turn off; 8. turn