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.

    The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on well with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.

    An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it had ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today's young people seem to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They're expected to be rebellious(叛逆的) and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There's more negotiation(商议) and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don't want to rock the boat.”

    So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I'm going out clubbing. As long as they know what I'm doing, they're fine with me.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I'd done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”

    Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion(反抗) is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over. ”

    Mya Le Thai is a scientist studying at the University of California, Irvine. She recently discovered a process that may result in batteries that last forever. Thai said she had been discouraged that the batteries for her wireless devices degrade. Over time, they fail to charge fully.

    Thai did not like to have keep her wireless laptop connected to an electrical outlet. She decided to do something about that problem.

    At first, she and her team thought about inventing a new battery. But as they experimented, Thai discovered something that might permit lithium-ion(锂离子) batteries to last forever. Lithium-ion batteries power most wireless devices. Over time, the batteries lose the ability to hold a charge. Most of these batteries have a life span of about 7,000 charging cycles before they die.

    One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade is their use of nanowires(纳米线) to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. A human hair is thousands of times thicker, for example. Nanowires are extremely efficient carriers of electricity, which makes them useful in batteries. But Thai said their thinness also makes them weak. "Nanowires break over time," she said. "That's why they lose capacity."

    But, Thai had a theory: The nanowires might last longer if covered with a material. She and the team tested her theory. The team tried many coverings for the wires. PMMA was one of them. The nanowires were coated with PMMA and cycled through charges 200,000 times. The PMMA coated nanowires showed no evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever, without losing charging ability.

    Thai hopes to continue her research to understand why this material works so well and to see if any other material could create better results.

"It's kind of cool," she said. "I'm really glad people are showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in technology and energy."

    Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms—football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.

    Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.

    Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kinds which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.

    If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork. The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.

    A mountain climber continues to improve in skills year by year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.

    Daily to-do lists can help you get focused and organized. Follow these tips to create a good to-do list.

    Notice the order.

    It may help you to develop some sort of system for your to-do list. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. You can even use a number system and mark them from 1 to 5. Items that are marked 1 might be done later, while the 5s are tasks you should deal with first.

    Reduce the list.

    You need to complete tasks or part of tasks one step at a time. If you have 15minutes to spare, find something on the list that you can complete in that time period. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}, but several 15 minutes add up to something huge.

    Add in something fun.

    Your to-do list is no doubt full of things you may not like. That's why adding in fun activities and tasks should also be important. A fun item doesn't feel like work. It may even feel like a break. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}, you'll be more active to get them done.

    Don't list too much.

    It's important not to overwhelm(压垮) yourself. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. If there's too much on your plate or you have to work too fast, you can't possibly enjoy yourself and you'll only end up being frustrated and overwhelmed.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.

    Your list needs to be organized in a way that makes you feel comfortable. There are many choices nowadays. However, the old-fashioned pen and paper method may work best for you. You can also use the Internet or even your cellphone to keep your list organized.

A. Keep it organized

B. Avoid too much stress

C. Write it down the night before

D. Certainly every item on the list can't be equally important

E. You may think that 15 minutes is not enough to do something

F. When you return to the less interesting items

G. Everything that goes on your to-do list should be something important that you need to do

    Venice Carnival is one of Italy's most fascinating yearly events. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} A confusion of color, historical costumes, mysterious masks, and a week of live concerts, street parties and entertainment attract millions of tourists each year. Here's everything you need to know before you go.

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    Traditionally held around Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, at the start of Lent (40 days before Easter), Venice Carnival ( Carnevale del Veneto ) celebrations can last up to two weeks. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, the biggest events, including the official parades and masked balls, are held over the final weekend.

    What to Do?

    Join one of the parades or street parties, and taste traditional Carnival foods such as frittelle, a traditional dessert made only during the festivities. Carnival is the ideal time to experience Venetian culture and traditions. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}You can also take part in a mask-making workshop, tour Venice's cicchetti bars for a bite to eat, sail up and down the Grand Canal on a romantic Venice boat ride, or attend an evening Carnival concert or dinner theater performance.

Things to Know

    St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) is the center of Carnival celebrations with daily parades, performances and other activities. Most Carnival events, except for the masked balls and gala dinners, are free to attend.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} So prepare for cold weather and possible rain, with an average high of 46℉(8℃) in February.

A. When to Go

B. Where to Stay

C. Carnival falls during winter in Venice.

D. Most visitors choose to arrive on the final weekend.

E. It is also one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the city.

F. There's a busy schedule of both free and ticketed events throughout the time.

G. Get into the carnival spirit by buying or renting a traditional costume or Venetian mask.