1. Summary writing enables people to get more out of their reading. Most people read carelessly, and are left with only a vague（模糊的）idea of what they have read. We can eas¬ily test the effect of our reading. Read in our usual way a chapter, or even a page, of a book, then, close the book and try to put down briefly what we have just read. We will probably find that our memory is hazy（含糊的）and even faulty（错误的）. Is this because our memory is weak? No. It is because we did not concentrate our attention on the pas¬sage while we were reading it. We did not remember the passage properly because we did not properly grasp its main idea as we read it. Summary-writing forces us to pay attention to what we read, for no one can write a summary of any piece of writ¬ing unless he has clearly grasped its meaning. So summarizing is excellent training. It makes us read with the mind as well as the eye.（概述是很好的训练：让我们阅读的同时进行思考。）

2. Summary-writing is also a very good exercise. It teaches us to express thoughts clearly, concisely and effectively.（概述是很好的练习：让我们学会如何清晰、准确、有效地表述意思。）Since we are required to express the main informa¬tion in as few words as possible, we must learn to choose our words and construct our sentences carefully and to write in strictly logical order.

3.Summary-writing has great practical value.（概述有很多实用之处。） The ability to grasp（理解）quickly and ac¬curately what is read or heard and to reproduce it briefly, clearly and concisely, is of great importance, particularly to lawyers, scholars, businessmen, and government of-ficials（尤其对于律师、学者、商人和政府公务人员）.