II. Paraphrase the underlined using words or word-combinations from the text.

1. They urge us to get ahead.

2. With such a business you are sure to flourish.

3. If you don’t do well, you feel a failure.

4. If I were you, I wouldn’t disprove such advice.

5. He was expelled from school.

6. There is an accepted ratio between the highest and the lowest levels.

7. What was his academic achievement at school?

8. I am sure he was born into a rich family.

9. You should benefit from your good looks.

10. It is not such a great disadvantage.

11. You must pave your way to the top.

12. Self-belief is very important for success.

13. Bob ought to dismiss all the negative thoughts,

14. All these tasks will never overpower me.

15. You were intended for success.

Widening your horizon

In Success Secrets, Mark McCormack gives his top ten tips or 'commandments' for success in business. As consultant to the world's top sportsmen and companies, Mark McCormack has brought together the worlds of sport and big business.

Mark McCormack, Success Secrets

Mark McCormack is a lawyer who was educated at William and Mary, and Yale Law School. While working at a Cleveland law firm, he took on a new client, the then unknown golfer Arnold Palmer. From those beginnings he has gone on to build the most powerful sports management company in the world, International Management Group (IMG), of which he is the CEO, and whose most famous clients include Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi and Monica Seles. Other works include What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School. His advice can also be found at the web site www.successsecrets.com.

The ten commandments of street smarts

1. Never underestimate the importance of money

I have always been grateful to my mother for cleverly letting me know that it was all right to be concerned about money. It is, after all, the way most business people keep score.

2. Never overestimate the value of money

Cash is by no means the only currency of business. There is much to be said for a job well done, the respect of others, or the thrill of building something from nothing. Pursue these goals as well and let the profits follow.

3. You can never have too many friends in business

Loyal friends who derive as much pleasure from your success as you do are the best leverage in business. Given the choice, people always prefer to do business with a friend, even if they sometimes can make a better deal elsewhere.

4. Don't be afraid to say 'I don't know'

If you don't know something, say so. There's no shame in not knowing everything. In fact, there is a subtle form of flattery and ego-stroking at work when you plead ignorance and ask the other person to educate you. If you're going to bluff, do so out of strength, not ignorance. I will very often say I don't know even when I do know – to find out how much the other person really knows.

5. Speak less

You cannot blunder or put your foot in your mouth if you are not speaking. More important, while you're busy talking, you are probably not reading the constantly shifting rhythms of your audience and your situation. Flapping gums dull your two most important senses – your eyes and ears.

6. Keep your promises, the big ones and the little ones

Few things in this world impress me as much as someone who does what he says he will do. Likewise, few things depress me more than someone who doesn't keep his word. This person is breaking an unwritten code of business. The starting point of any relationship is trust, not suspicion.

7. Every transaction has a life of its own

Some need tender loving care, some need to be hurried along. Once you figure that out, be adaptable. Go into a negotiation with as few preconceptions as possible. Whether you get less or more than you really wanted, it will always be more than you started with.

8. Commit yourself to quality from day one

Concentrate on each task, whether trivial or crucial, as if it's the only thing that matters (it usually is). It is better to do nothing at all than to do something badly.

9. Be nice to people

Not because you'll need them on the way down (as the cliche goes), but because its the most pleasant route to the top. Being sensitive to other peoples’ feelings always pays off; it has an uncanny way of (1) alerting you to their business needs, (2) sharpening your sense of timing and (3) getting you out of awkward situations. All things being equal, courtesy can be most persuasive.

10. Don't hog the credit

Share it with your colleagues. If you have to tell the world how smart you are, you probably aren't.