It was a dark night. Thick ______ had made me sure that there was no starlight or moonlight to greet me as I walked out. ______, I kept the porch (门廊) light off because I didn’t want to be ______ by small insects on this sticky summer evening. I stood there for a while letting my eyes get used to the ______ of light. It was then, though, that I saw one flash of light at the far end of the grassland was ______ by another and then another. I smiled. I ______ them at once as my firefly (萤火虫) buddies who always appeared at this time of the year.

I got so much ______ watching them first as a child and then as an adult. They never became ______ and they always filled me with delight. I never ______ them and put them in a jar as some kids did because I was afraid I might hurt these ______ of light. Their time on this earth was so ______ that I tried to enjoy them each night they were here. It always ______ me when they disappeared in the fall and it always made my heart sing when they ______ again the next summer.

I think I enjoy these little fireflies so much because we’re ______ to them in lots of ways. Our time here is brief too, but we still do our best to give out light and knowing that others will be shining long after we are gone is a (n) ______ to us. Let’s share our light and love while we are here then.

Saving a Tiger Named Cinderella

On an icy day in February 2012, two hunters in eastern Russia discovered a limp bundle of fur lying in the snow. It was an orphaned cub(幼虎)！The cub hadn’t eaten in days, and was _______ enough for the hunters just to pick her up. Dr. Dale Miquelle, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Russia Program, said, “A healthy tiger cub, even a three-month-old one, would give you reason to _______ before you stuck your hand too close to its teeth and claws. But this cub had no _______ left in her.”

The hunters wrapped the cub in a coat and _______ her to a local wildlife inspector, Andrey Oryol. Over the following weeks, Oryol _______ the orphaned cub back to health. But now he had a new problem: What could he do with an _______ three-month-old tiger?

The cub was an Amur tiger. _______ a small number of Amur tigers remained in the wild, so scientists wanted to return _______ cubs to their natural habitat. The orphaned cub was taken to a new wildlife   center. The center was designed for raising wild animals without _______ them to people. It uses hidden cameras and covered fences to keep workers out of ________. That way, the animals don’t become ________ on humans.

The cub, now named Cinderella, became the center’s first tiger. Over the next year, she grew into a big, healthy tigress. In the center, she learned to hunt. By the spring of 2013, experts agreed she was ________ to return to the wild.

They chose the perfect new ________ for their tiger princess: the Bastak Nature Reserve. During the next two years, researchers watched Cinderella’s ________. They set up cameras to snap photos. When Cinderella passed in front of one of these camera ________, it took her picture. Cinderella not only ________, but grew healthy and strong.

Then, in December 2015, the cameras ________ exciting news: Cinderella had become a mother! For the first time ever, a tiger that humans had ________ and returned to the wild had given birth to two cubs of her own.

Tigers are some of the most admired animals on our planet, but they are also ________. Thanks to the work of conservationists like Dr. Miquelle, there is new ________ for these magnificent cats.

Paws walk across my keyboard, and my cat Monty nests himself on my lap, unaware of the world beyond our garden fence. In these uncertain times, the______ of animals is needed more than ever. To the ______of our cats, dogs and all pets in between, staying at home is really an opportunity to give them our undivided attention. ______, they provide us with a much-needed source of joy.

Pet-ownership is well known to help settle______, reduce loneliness and lift moods. Even as we spend an unprecedented amount of ______in isolation, pets are still acting as gateways to building a sense of community ______ people share pictures of their beloved companions online in an effort to raise spirits.

It is in such times that we realize just how much our pets ______as part of the family. As a long-term cat lady, I have never______that a pet is a cherished member of the household. Our pets can be as valuable as our human family members in______us about ourselves and how to ______ the world. In short, our animals’ love and loyalty are unique.

As such, the death of a pet can feel as ______as that of a close friend or family member. The grief that accompanies it remains something______seen as shameful, and many admit to requesting time ______work without being honest about why. However, with the loss of a pet comes a(n) ______where their unconditional devotion once was, and moments in the day once dedicated to their care become suddenly______. It is a very feeling that only provides further proof to their status as family.

Vet and author James Herriot wrote, “If having a soul means being able to feel love, loyalty and gratitude, animals are better off than a lot of humans.”