1. (2023高一下·安徽开学考) 完形填空

It was 80 years ago when I wrote my first letter to Paul and Renee. I was about 13. Paul was the same1as me, his sister Renee was two years younger, and they lived in France. I was keen(热衷的)on learning languages, so I was2when my French teacher assigned(分配)us pen pals.

It was quite a(n)3to get a letter from a foreign country, so I4receiving their reply. They weren't good at English, so after six months, we were all writing in5, which helped me acquire a good knowledge of the language.

I decided to go to France on holiday in 1949 to6them. The family7me well, and I visited several times in the years that followed. The first time I met Renee, she8me up at the station, and we hit it off straight away.

I never got to meet Paul. Renee wrote to me and9me that he had died shortly after joining the army. Renee and I continued writing to each other, and our friendship became10. We talked about our families, our11and our troubles in life. After that I moved to South Africa for a while, married, had children, and changed jobs. Throughout all this, we12writing letters.

I'm 93 now and I still write to Renee. She has difficulty writing now, so she phones me to13. Most people don't seem to have the14for letters anymore, but it gives me great pleasure to write. And this is the most valuable15 I have ever had.