Teens Spring Events at San Francisco Public Library

GREAT TEEN BOOK SWAP

Sunday,March 19,2017-2:30 pm to 5:30 pm

FREE hook!Just leave us a review.

    Here's how it works: Every Thursday,the librarian will bring out several books and allow teens the chance to look through them for one that you'd like to keep.You will,in turn,swap us a review of the book by the end of the month.

For ages 12-18.

For more information,contact Dorcas at dorcas.wong@sfpl.org.

THE MIX BOOK CLUB!

Sunday,March 19,2017-4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

    Teens aged 13-18 are welcome to The Mix at SFPL Book Club!We read a different book each month that you help choose.This month we're reading The Sun is Also A Star,by Nicola Yoon.New members and drop-ins are always welcome!

For more information,please e-mail catherine.cormier@sfpl.org or call (415)557-4404.

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY BY HENRY JAMES

Sunday,March 19,2017-6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

    Please join Chinatown's World Literature Book Club for an enjoyable discussion of The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.This famous novel follows the young,free-spirited heiress,Isabel Archer,as she travels from New York to Europe.

CARTOONING & GRAPHIC NOVEL WORKSHOP

Saturday,March 25,2017-2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

    Join teaching artist and cartoonist Aaron Southerland for a cartooning and graphic novel workshop.Students will learn to create their very own cartoon and comic characters through advanced drawing techniques.

    This is a Reading,Writing & Poetry program from SFPL.We love reading/sharing/creating words.

    Booking a trip on an online travel site is convenient, but comes with its own set of problems.

    They know who's going to spend more.

    Last year, US travel research company Orbitz tracked people's online activities to test out whether Mac users spend more on travel than PC users. It turns out that on average, Mac users lay out US $20-30 more per night on hotels. As a result, online travel sites show these users more expensive travel options first. To avoid paying more, sort results by price.

    Their software doesn't always link to the hotel's system.

    A guaranteed reservation is almost impossible to come by anywhere — but the risk of your flight or hotel being overbooked increases with third-party providers. The middleman's software isn't immune(防护作用的) to system errors, so always call the hotel or airline to make sure your booking was processed.

    Don't be fooled by packages: Often, they're low-end items grouped together.

    Ever notice how travel sites recommend a hotel, a rental car, and tour package all in one click? These deals usually feature travel that no one wants, like flights with multiple layovers(中途停留). Check the fine print.

    Once your trip is purchased, you're on your own.

    An online travel agency can't provide assistance the same way an agent can if a flight is cancelled or a room is substandard. Basically, when you arrive at the airport or hotel, you're just another customer who booked at the lowest rate.

    Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there's no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children's curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we're finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”

    After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper （蚱蜢）eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”

    This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.

    Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers.

    Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don't jump in with “That's right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That's interesting” or “I'd never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.

    Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn't make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What's more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement.

    Lastly, show; don't tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass（放大镜）, and they'll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates（蒸发）, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.

    Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on 8th January, 1942. He went to school in St Allbans, a small city near London. Although he did well, he was never top of his class.

    After leaving school. Hawking went first to Oxford University where he studied physics and then went to Cambridge University where he studied cosmology(宇宙学）. As he himself admits, he didn't work hard. He was a very lazy student, and did very little work. However, he still got high marks.

    It was at the age of 20 that Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him. He started to bump into things. When he visited his family at Christmas time, his mother was so worried that she made him see a doctor. Hawking was sent to hospital for tests. Finally, the result came back. Hawking had motor neuron disease (运动神经元病）, an incurable illness which would make him unable to speak, breathe or move without the help of a machine. Doctors said they had no way to help him. He would die before 23.

    At first, Hawking became very depressed. After a while, though, he began to see his life in a different way. As he later wrote, "Before my illness was diagnosed(诊断), I had been very bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of hospital, I suddenly realised that there were a lot of worthwhile (值得做的）things I could do." Then Hawking got married and found a job at Cambridge University as a professor, He strongly believes that his story shows that nobody, how bad their situation is, should lose hope. "Life is not fair." He once said. "You just have to do the best you can in your own situation."

    Beneath the water in the China's Qiandao Lake lies a hidden treasure. The ancient city of Shi Cheng (also known as Lion City), located in the province of Zhejiang, has been submerged underwater for 53 years. Shi Cheng was founded about 1,300 years ago in a valley surrounded by the Five Lion Mountains. When the Chinese government decided they needed a new hydroelectric power station (水力发电站)， a dam and man-made lake were constructed and the city was left at the bottom of this new body of water. Now, it sits at depths ranging from 85 feet to about 103 feet.

    Much like the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru, this underwater city remained forgotten until some renewed interests lead to its rediscovery. Qiu Feng, a local official in charge of tourism thought about utilizing Shi Cheng for entertainment on the lake and as a destination for diving clubs. On September 18, 2001, scuba divers made their first attempt underwater. "We were lucky. As soon as we dived into the lake, we found the outside wall of the town and even picked up a brick, "Qiu told Guangzhou Daily in an interview. More research was conducted, and it was discovered that the entire town was intact (1881), including wooden beams and stairs. After the initial findings, international archaeologists and a film crew then recorded the preservation of the lost ruins.

    Looking at surface of the lake, dotted with over 1,000 islands, you'd never know that an entire city was below.

    It's incredible to think that after all this time, the structure still remains intact and we could one day visit it. Until then, Shi Cheng will continue to remain inconspicuously submerged.

    In the nineteenth century, one of America's greatest writers, Walt Whitman, helped people learn to value poetry. Whitman created a new kind of poetry.

    Walt Whitman was born in eighteen nineteen in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was thirty-six years old when he published his first book of poetry in eighteen fifty-five. He called it Leaves of Grass. It had only twelve poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short. Some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme.

    One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman's work. But most other poets and writers said nothing and even denounced it. Most readers also rejected Whitman's poems. The new form of his poetry surprised many people. Even his own brother told Whitman that he should stop writing poetry. But Whitman had many things to say. And he continued to say them. Readers began to understand that America had a great new poetic voice.

    Walt Whitman's poems praise the United States and its democracy. The poet expressed his love for America and its people in many ways. Experts today praise Leaves of Grass as a major literary work. In eighteen seventy-three, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in eighteen ninety-two. Some critics say Walt Whitman was a spokesman for democracy. Others say he was not a spokesman for anything. Instead, they simply call him a great poet.