#171. What would you take when preparing for a one-year trip in addition to personal necessities?
During the planning of an extended trip away from home, we have to decide what items to carry with us. While considering this problem I pondered many possibilities, such as a family photo album, my journal, my music collection and many others. Finally I realized that the best thing for me to bring on an extended journey would be my laptop.
A laptop computer can act as a journal. In fact it can outperform a journal in its abilities to catalogue experiences. With this added functionality, I could add pictures, captured with the web cam and sounds, captured with the builtin microphone, to the text. As there is a diverse range of software available for computers, there is an added possibility of loading my experiences on to a web page and publishing them on the Internet.
While traveling or living abroad, it is often necessary to communicate with loved ones or business colleagues. In spite of the ever-decreasing cost of international calls, long distance telephone bills can quickly add up. Once again a laptop computer has the ability of solving this problem. With a relatively inexpensive Internet connection, a person can harness one of the most powerful attributes of a computer: communication. This form of communication adds the extra abilities of being able to see the person you are contacting and allow people to share files, information and even programs. A new city can be a lonely place and it can take a significant amount of time to adjust to a new environment and make friend. During such a transitional period, it can be very helpful for one to have access to entertainment: reading a book as an e-book, playing a video game, or watching a DVD, all of which can be done on a laptop. Entertaining oneself can also be a marvelous way to pass the time on a long bus ride or flight.
Hence, I posit that a laptop is the ultimate travel companion, whether for a short journey or an extended voyage. Personal computer seems to solve many of the problems that arise from travel.
171. 外出一年，除生活必须品外你会带上一件什么东西随行？
在计划一次离家很久的旅行时，我们必须决定随身携带哪些物品。在考虑这个问题时我做过很多设想，诸如一本家庭影集、我的日记、我收藏的音乐以及很多其他东西。最终，我意识到在长期旅行时最应该带的东西是我的手提电脑。
手提电脑可以起到日记本的作用。实际上，因为能够分类记录我们的经历，它能够比日记本更好地完成任务。运用这种附加功能，我能够在文字中加入用网络摄像头拍摄的图片和通过内置麦克风录制的声音。因为有各种各样可供电脑使用的软件，还增加了把我的经历传上网页并把它们发表在互联网上的可能性。
在旅行或者居住在国外的时候，会经常需要和爱人或者同事联系。尽管国际长途的通话费用在不断下降，但长途电话单上的费用还是会很快增长。而手提电脑又能够解决这个问题。通过相对而言并不昂贵的上网费用，一个人能够拥有电脑最为强大的功能之一：通讯。这种通讯方式还附加了可以看见交流对象的功能，而且还能让人分享文件、信息甚至程序。
来到一个新的城市可能会让人感到孤单，而且可能需要相当长的时间去适应一个新的环境并且交到朋友。在这个过渡时期里，手提电脑可以在娱乐方面给我提供帮助：读一本电子书、玩一个电脑游戏或者看DVD都可以在手提电脑上完成。自娱自乐也可以是在坐长途汽车或者乘飞机时消磨时间的绝佳方式。
因此，无论是短程还是长途旅行，我都会把手提电脑作为最终的旅行伴侣。个人电脑似乎能够解决由旅行引起的很多问题。
- laptop ［ˈlæpˌta:p］ n. 便携式电脑；手提电脑
- in spite of 尽管
- harness ［ˈha:nis］ v. 控制
- album ［ˈælbəm］ n. 影集；相册
- attribute ［əˈtribju:t］ n. 特征
- journal ［ˈdʒə:nəl］ n. 日记
- transitional ［trænˈziʃənəl］ adj. 过渡期的
- catalogue ［ˈkætəlɔ:g］ v. 编目录
- posit ［ˈpa:zit］ v. 断定；论断；假定
- functionality ［ˌfʌŋkəʃəˈnæləti］ n. 功能性
- ultimate ［ˈʌltəmit］ adj. 最后的；最终的
- voyage ［ˈvɔiidʒ］ n. 长途旅行
- built in 内置的
- microphone ［ˈmaikrəˌfəun］ n. 麦克风；扩音器