Vocabulary

investigate – to examine carefully and systematically, inquiring about the reason for smth.

devastating – causing complete destruction

ice floe – a flat mass of floating ice

plunge – to descend steeply and suddenly

“wake-up call” – an emergency signal

fossil fuel – remains of a prehistoric animal or plant preserved by being buried in the earth, and used as a fuel

thaw – a warmer period when snow and ice melt

extreme – the greatest or utmost degree

engulf – to cause to disaster, to swallow up completely

predator – an animal that attacks and kills other animals for food

extinct – out of existence

freak – (here) thin

cold snap – an unexpected cooling

nonitor – to control smth., to keep check on smth.

Fashion

The article in “Pulse” gives advice on what a respectable business man should look like in terms of clothes.

The article in “The Observer” deals with the problems of the computer-generated models and the ways they threat­en real models.

Which suits are trumps?

How to make the best impression

in the hostile world of business?

We present the ultimate guide.

Ambition alone is not enough to make a career. Your business suit must be impeccable or, at least, look impec­cable. No whim of weather, such as a sudden gust of wind lifting up a business lady's skirt Marilyn Monroe style, is allowed to interfere. A career-minded lady will take care of everything, including a weight hidden in the rim of her skirt. The antics of modern industry are also powerless to affect the business suit. A business suit will be conserva­tive beyond ambiguity.

Details matter. You are going to present your new business plan, and you are all set to impress the business Community. All of a sudden you notice that your prospective partners are casting surreptitious at your shoes, or are ostensibly trying to figure out whether it's worth their while to do further business with you by the look of your wristwatch. Remember: as far as your business outfit is concerned, there is no such thing as negligible detail.

It is true that creative people live according to differ­ent laws. Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood once demonstrated her lack of undergarment with gusto at a Buckingham palace reception. At the dawn of his career, Sir Alec Guinness — one of the pillars of British drama and cinematography — used to wear shoes with holes in the soles. When a sixpence is all you have got in your pocket, you are apt to find yourself thinking, should I spend it on a ticket to the Old Vic or have my shoes repaired instead. He would explain to journalists years later, I thought, to hell with shoes, soles and all these problems! I wanted to see everything going on down on the Waterloo Road. A great actor, Guinness made a for­midable career in drama. In the business world, his choice of priorities would not have got him very far.

Success in business comes to those who play according to its rules. Fortunately, these rules are not very numerous and it is easy to learn them. If you no longer wear white socks to your office and have learned how to tie your tie in a Windsor or Half-Windsor knot — you are already on your way to the top of the heap.