原文：
　　
　　the　whole　process　of　summarizing　implies　an　ability　to　make　decisions.you　have　to　decide　what　the　author‘s　plan　is，how　the　material　has　been　organized，what　the　key　ideas　are，and　what　material　is　used　merely　as　example.you　will　not　find　the　technique　of　summarizing　easy　at　first　because　it　requires　so　many　decisions.but　your　efficiency　in　making　summaries，as　well　as　your　general　reading　efficiency，will　increase　in　proportion　to　the　time　and　effort　you　spend　on　perfecting　your　notetaking　technique.
　　
　　第一段的中心思想指出写摘要的过程是检查一个人的阅读理解水平的过程。它包括对文章总体结构的掌握，对主题思想的理解。（注意：本文的重点是写摘要，因此本段涉及的决策能力可以不提。）
　　
　　your　final　summary　should　reflect　clearly　and　accurately　what　the　author　has　said.an　inaccurate　summary　may　be　worse　than　no　summary　at　all.an　effective　method　of　testing　the　quality　of　your　summary　is　to　set　it　aside　for　a　month　or　two　and　then　reread　it.if　it　still　recalls　the　essential　information　for　you　and　seems　to　express　the　material　in　a　clear　and　exact　manner，you　have　done　a　good　job.if　it　does　not，make　another　attempt.this　time　you　will　do　a　better　job.this　method，incidentally，may　well　be　applied　to　other　types　of　writing.many　young　writers　have　been　advised　to　put　their　material　aside　for　a　while.if　a　piece　of　writing　seems　as　good　a　year　or　two　later　as　the　day　they　finished　it，they　can　begin　to　feel　that　it　will　stand　the　test　of　time.the　same　thing，of　course，applies　to　what　someone　else　has　written　and　you　have　read.if　you　think　a　book　you　read　several　years　ago　was　the　best　you　have　known，reread　it.don‘t　be　surprised　if　you　find　yourself　sadly　disappointed.
　　
　　第二段的主要观点是摘要应简洁准确。如果写得不好，就不能接受时间的考验。段中列举几个事例都是为了说明上述观点，写摘要时可删去。
　　
　　good　summaries　serve　many　purposes.everyone，from　professional　to　houseperson，needs　and　uses　them.doctors　may　have　to　summarize　a　report　of　their　findings　in　a　particular　case　for　a　medical　board.they　will　have　to　read　the　summaries　of　other　doctors　and　summaries　of　the　latest　medical　research　in　their　field.lawyers　need　to　prepare　a　summary，or　brief，of　their　case　before　they　present　it　in　court.their　summary　usually　takes　the　form　of　a　sentence　outline，and　many　an　early　career　is　hurt　by　an　inability　to　present　a　clear　and　accurate　brief.a　junior　executive　may　write　a　summary　of　a　long　report　for　the　president　of　the　company.electrical　engineers　will　summarize　their　findings　to　formulate　their　plans.a　student　prepares　summaries　for　use　in　a　term　paper.