Final answer:
The term needed to fill the blank is 'gateway interface.' It is the first Layer 3 interface of a router that a host reaches in a computer network, serving as the point of access to other networks.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term you are looking for is gateway interface. The gateway interface is indeed the first Layer 3 interface that a host will reach when connecting to a computer network. This is the interface on the router that acts as the point of access or 'gate' to other networks—especially when getting out of your local network and into the internet or another remote network. When a computer or host sends a data packet to an IP address outside its local network, the data packet is sent to the gateway interface. It then routes the data packet to the destination through the most efficient path.