80 years ago, I was about 13. Paul was the same age as me, his sister Renee was two years younger, and they lived in France. Then I wrote the first ________ to them. I was interested in languages, so I was pleased when my French teacher made ________ pen pals.

It was quite exciting to get a letter from a foreign country, ________ I looked forward to receiving their reply. Because they weren’t good at English, we were all writing in ________, which helped me get a good knowledge of their language.

I decided to go to France on holiday in 1949 to meet them, but Paul was in the army, and Renee was away skiing. The first time I met Renee, she picked me up at the station, and she drove me to so many places of interest.

I ________ met Paul, which was really a pity for me in my whole life. In 1955, I got ________ news from Renee. She told me that Paul had died shortly after leaving the army, before I had a chance to meet him for the first time.

Renee and I ________ writing to each other, and our friendship became deeper. We talked about our families and our hobbies in life. Later, I moved to South Africa for a while, married, had children, and changed jobs.

Renee never married and worked as a nurse ________ half her life. As I continued to visit, I got to know her whole family, including her distant (远方的) cousins all over France. I was so welcomed into their home life that I never felt like a tourist.

I’m 93 now and I still write to Renee. She has ________ writing now, so she phones me to reply. Most people don’t seem to have the time for letters anymore, but it gives me great pleasure to write.

My letters with Renee have ________ a different and wonderful picture of what’s happening outside the UK to me. More importantly, this is the most precious friendship I have ever had.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was a famous American writer and illustrator（插图画家）. He was born in Springfield, America, _______ March 2, 1904.

Springfield was full of factories. One of the _______ was a brewery（啤酒厂）that Seuss’s grandfather had started called Kalmbach and Geisel. Seuss’s father became the president of the company. Its beer was so _______ that the people of Springfield called the business “Come Back and Guzzle” happily.

Like many people in Springfield, the Geisels came from Germany. Seuss _______ speaking both German and English. In 1914, World War I started in Europe. Many countries were _______ against Germany. The United States was not in the war yet. _______ Germans were becoming very unpopular in America.

At school, German children were often bullied（欺负）. Sometimes kids would throw rocks at Seuss. The Geisel family _______ hard to prove that they loved Americans. Seuss’s Boys Scout troop（童子军）had a contest to see who could sell the most Liberty bonds—a _______ to help the government fight the war.

Seuss’s grandfather bought one thousand dollars’ worth. This made Seuss one of the _______ .

At the prizes ceremony, ________ were given by former president Theodore Roosevelt. But ________ in the Boy Scouts had made a mistake. There were 10 winners, but Roosevelt had only nine medals. When he gave all the medals, Seuss was still standing ________ . Roosevelt shouted, “What is this little boy doing here?” No one ________ that Seuss was a winner, too. Seuss walked away.

From then on, it was very ________ for Seuss to stand in front of people. Even after he was famous, he refused to give speeches. When he tried to appear on a television talk show, he was so ________ that he couldn’t say a word.

My dad loves history. He learned an old highway was open to the public. So, when I was 14, we took a bike trip to ________ this historic road!

My dad chose a 16-mile part of the road for us to ride. It ________ a tunnel (隧道) called Sideling Hill. Before going there, we made sure our bike lights had enough electricity. My mom made some sandwiches for us. She ________ prepared some fruit and plenty of water for us.

After a two-hour ride, we reached the road. It was a cool afternoon in early fall. As we got close to the Sideling Hill Tunnel, I felt ________ as it was completely dark inside! But my dad encouraged me. He said he would be right beside me. He ________ me to keep my light on!

When we entered the tunnel, the ________ of our bikes echoed (回响) through the darkness. And I ________ I was being watched! I was pretty scared, but following my dad helped me relax. ________ we rode half-way through. I could see the light coming from the other end of the tunnel. That gave me courage to keep going. And I was so ________ to ride out into the bright afternoon!

Now many years passed, but whenever I am going through difficulties in life. I remember this ________. It reminds me that my father is always beside me. He turns on the light of hope in my hear, and gives me courage to keep riding through life’s dark tunnels.