Thanks to smartphones and watches, it’s never difficult to find out what the time is nowadays. However, in ancient times, people weren’t able to figure out the time of day so     1     (easy).

In classic Chinese martial arts novels, we might see the phrase “the time it takes to burn an incense (香) stick”     2     (use) to describe the deadline for a contest (比武). Indeed, this method was used by monks (和尚) as     3     way to keep track of time during meditation.

However, you may wonder how long     4     takes to burn an incense stick. Of course, it depends on many factors, such as the air temperature and wind speed. Generally, however, the phrase “to burn an incense stick”     5     (suggest) one hour.

There are also other similar phrases, such as “the time it takes to drink a cup of tea”,     6     means time for hot tea to cool down before one can drink it. It is about 10 to 15 minutes.

But as the     7     (year) have gone by, people     8     (change) the definitions of these ancient time-telling methods. In ancient China, “the time it takes to eat a meal”     9     (be) about an hour. These days, with our fast-paced lifestyles,     10     (eat) a meal usually takes around half that time.

2 . Four students from a German high school choir wrote a letter to Peng Liyuan. "Singing ______ songs was the happiest part of the day when we studied at home," they said. The letter, written in Chinese, was in reply to a letter from Peng on Feb 9th to the students and teachers at    Burg Gymnasium, ______ them to contribute to promoting the ______ of China and Germany.

The students said they have ______ Peng's letter many times and are very ______ . “We feel so proud after knowing that you even ______ our video,“ they wrote in the letter, ______a video clip in which students ______ a Chinese song.

Simone Reuen, the principal of Burg Gymnasium, said in her letter to Peng that she was ______ happy that the school had received so much______ . “Your letter is a great praise, acknowledgement and ______ to not only our school but also the ______ of our school's Chinese choir；"     Reuen wrote.

Reuen said that she believed that their songs have played a ______ but very important role in the ______ and mutual （相互的）learning between people in Germany and China. She said she was ______   of the students for ______ the distances between the two peoples.

The students and teachers at the school asked the Chinese ______ in Germany to forward the _____ letters to Peng, together with works of calligraphy and other ______ made by the students.

Burg Gymnasium has been ______ Chinese language courses since 1994. In March 2014, Peng visited the school and joined a Chinese class there during Xi's state visit to Germany.