Section A Exploratory Reading
Example
Please read the following passage and write a summary in pairs by following the instructions below．
The invention of the process of printing from movable type，which occurred in Germany about the middle of the fifteenth century，was destined to exercise a far-reaching influence on all the vernacular languages of Europe．Introduced into England about 1476 by William Caxton，who had learned the art on the continent，printing made such rapid progress that a scant century later it was observed that manuscript books were seldom to be met with and almost never used．Some idea of the rapidity with which the new process swept forward may be due to the fact that in Europe the number of books printed before the year 1500 reached the surprising figure of 35，000．The majority of these，true as it is，were in Latin，whereas it is in the modern languages that the effect of the printing press is chiefly felt．But in England over 20，000 titles in English had appeared by 1640，ranging all the way from mere pamphlets to massive folios．The result was to bring books，which had formerly been the expensive luxury of the few，within the reach of all．More important，however，was the fact，so obvious today，that it was possible to reproduce a book in a thousand copies or a hundred thousand，every one exactly like the other．A powerful force thus existed for promoting a standard uniform language，and the means were now available for spreading that language throughout the territory in which it was understood．
Step 1 Read and Analyze：
（1）Read through the above passage carefully so that you have a good understanding of the content．
（2）Discuss with your partner and write down its topic／key words and underline its thesis statement／topic sentence（if there is any）．
Topic／key words：
Topic sentence（if there is any）：
（3）List out its organizational structure with respective key words of each part．Use double slashes（／／）to signal the structure and underline the key words and important transitional words．
Structure：
Part 1：
Part 2：
Part 3：
Part 4：
…
（4）Write down the main idea of each part with the key words you’ve chosen by crossing out the original unimportant information．You may adopt the exact words from the source text or explain the idea in your own way．
For example：
Part 1：The invention of the process of printing from movable type has a farreaching influence on all the languagesof Europe．
Part 2：…
Part 3：…
Part 4：…
…
Step 2 Write summaries：Rewrite the above main ideas in your own words，combine them logically with necessary transitional words into a summary．
Step 3 Revise：Revise your draft in pairs．Compare it carefully with the original to see that you have included all the important points．If it is too long，further compress it by omitting unnecessary words and phrases or by remodeling sentences．Correct all mistakes in spelling，grammar and idiom，and see that it is properly punctuated．Make the language simple and direct．
Notice：The summary should be all in your own words．It must not be a patchwork made up of phrases and sentences quoted from the original passage．Your summary should be 15%～20% of the length of the original．
Step 4 Compare and conclude：
Now look at two summaries of it，one from a textbook and a second from a student．The two may be compared with each other，and with your own，checking for conciseness，clarity，and accuracy in the sentences，and the selection of information（major points and qualifications）．Make conclusions about the specific methods of writing summaries in pairs and share them in class．
Printing from movable type，invented in Germany about 1450 and brought to England about 1476，had a far-reaching influence on all European languages．Within a hundred years，manuscript books had become rare．Though at first most printed books were in Latin，over 20，000 titles in English had appeared by 1640．Books were now within the reach of everyone and could exert a powerful standardizing influence upon the language．（67 words）
Printing，invented in Germany in the mid-fifteenth century，was introduced into England in 1476 by William Caxton．A century later manuscript books had almost disappeared．Before 1500，35，000 books，most in Latin，were printed in Europe，but in England over 20，000 books in English had appeared by 1640．Books，within reach of poor and rich alike，promoted the spread of standardized English throughout the English linguistic territory．（68 words）
Explanations
（1）Topic and／or topic sentence：
Topic：the influences of printing on languages of Europe（or just key words：influence，printing，languages）
Topic sentence：The invention of the process of printing from movable type，which occurred in Germany about the middle of the fifteenth century，was destined to exercise a farreaching influence on all the vernacular languages of Europe．
（2）Structure：
Part 1（Sentence 1）：topic sentence（key words：The invention of printing，influence，languages）
Part 2（S2）：history（key words：introduced，progress）
Part 3（S3—S5）：influences（key words：rapidity，swept forward，books printed，titles in English，appeared，result）
Part 4（S6—S7）：more important influence（key words：reproduce a book，promoting a standard uniform language，spreading that language）
（3）The main idea of each part：
Part 1：The invention of the process of printing from movable type has a far-reaching influence on all the languagesof Europe．
Part 2：First introducedinto England about 1476 by William Caxton，printing made such rapid progress that a scant century later manuscript books became rare．
Part 3：Printing swept forward so rapidly that in Europe 35，000 books was printed before the year 1500，most in Latin，and in England over 20，000 titles in_English had appeared by 1640，which brought books within the reach of all．
Part 4：More importantly，printing made it possible to reproduce a book conveniently，which helped to promote a standard uniform language ，and spread that languagethroughout the world．
Reading Skill：Writing Summaries
Writing a summary of a passage or longer selection is an excellent test of how well you have understood it．If you can strip away the supporting ideas，condense the main ideas，and restate them in your own words without introducing distortions or inaccuracies，then you can safely say that you have a good grasp of the content．
To write a good summary，follow these suggestions：
•Read through the passage twice so that you have a good understanding of the content．Look up any unfamiliar words．
•Analyze its topic（and topic sentence if there is any）and structure by underlining the important／key words，phrases，and sentences．
•Write down the main idea of each part with the key words you’ve chosen by crossing out the original unimportant information．
•Rewrite the above main ideas in your own words，and insert transitional words or phrases if necessary to show the relationship between ideas．
•Revise your draft．Compare it carefully with the original to see that you have included all the important points．If it is too long，further compress it by omitting unnecessary words and phrases or by remodeling sentences．Check to see that your summary is accurate and does not introduce your own ideas or opinions．