September is a big month for students in China since the new term begins from now on. In ancient China, the school entrance ceremony(入学典礼) was one of the most important ceremonies.

Children began school between the ages of 4—7 in ancient China. Since there was no certain time to begin a new term at that time, the most important thing for parents was to choose a lucky day for their children to enter school. Next, parents would prepare some school things for their children, including desks, chairs and four treasures of the study.

In ancient times, teachers were usually very knowledgeable local persons. Parents would prepare many gifts, and then write a letter of invitation to ask a knowledgeable man to be their children’s teacher.

On the day their children entered school, parents would take them to take part in the First Writing Ceremony. Before that, children would kowtow(叩头) to the statue of Confucius(孔子像) 9 times and then to their teacher 3 times to show their deep respect(尊敬). During the ceremony, the teacher would put a red point on the students’ forehead(前额) as it meant opening the wisdom eye. Children would also ring a certain bell to start a new term. After that, they could finally sit down in their seats and begin to study. The First Writing Ceremony was a very important ceremony for every student.

Every day, students would arrive at school earlier than their teacher, and kowtow to the statue of Confucius, and then go back to the seats. Usually the teacher would give every student a new name, which was used for future Imperial Examination(科举考试) .

Today, some schools are starting to hold an entrance ceremony like they did in ancient times. Students put on traditional costumes and bow to the statue of Confucius and their teachers. This means that from this moment, they take a step in the lifelong journey of learning.

One day, you open the fridge and find some moldy (发霉的) food. But before you can throw it away, your mother stops you. She doesn't want to waste food. She cuts off the moldy part and eats the rest. Is it safe to do this?

Mold (霉菌) can grow on almost all kinds of food. Mold is usually green, white, black or gray. Mold makes food soft and changes its color. Moldy food tastes quite bad—and it's not safe to eat.

If you find mold in soft food, just throw it away. Bread, tomatoes and hot dogs are soft food. This kind of food allows mold to easily grow below its surface.

But it's easy to remove mold from hard food. The mold can't grow very deeply inside this kind of food. According to the BBC, you should cut about 2.5 cm around and below the mold and remove it.

It's OK to cut the moldy parts out of hard food and eat the rest. But if the food is completely covered with mold, you should still throw it away.

Most kinds of mold are bad for us. But some kinds of mold can be used to make food. For example, peniciliium (青霉菌) can be used to make many types of cheeses, such as blue cheese. These cheeses are safe to eat and they're quite delicious as well.