1- a situation when you waited for a bus or a train 2- a challenging profession you know about

Describe an incident from history that has influenced you.
 
You should say:
x
when and where it happened 
x
how you heard about this incident 
x
what it was 
and say how this event influenced you. 
[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one 
minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to 
help you if you wish.]
Model Answer 1:
I was overwhelmed by the news that my country, Sri Lanka, has become free of 
Malaria. Earlier, it was one of the most prevalent health issues that claimed 
lots of lives. But now the declaration of the state being free from the disease 
was a historical event for the nation. 
The declaration came in September of 2016 that Sir Lanka is free from Malaria. 
This was the certification from the World Health Organization. This was really a 
remarkable achievement for the nation. In the mid of 20th century, Sri Lanka 

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was one of the most malaria-affected nations in the world. Studies found that 
the disease was caused not only by mosquito rather some mosquito-borne 
parasite. Anti-malaria campaign in the country was successful. Mobile malaria 
clinics played a great role in this case and those were deployed in the Malaria 
prone areas. Immediate treatment and destruction of the mosquito hotbeds 
mostly reduced the prevalence of the disease in Sri Lanka. 
I was not much aware of the incident. But later the issue was highlighted in 
mass media and thus I came to know about the matter. Most importantly the 
campaign was conducted under the public health category and the people 
were made aware of the disease and its prevention. But it took the time to 
reach the goal of reducing the disease. In fact, the island nation has long been 
affected by this disease and experienced some detrimental impacts. So, when 
the declaration came from the WHO, it was a matter of joy for everyone 
including me (though I came to know about the event a couple of days later). 
The news was telecasted on almost all the television channels and appeared on 
the newspaper front pages because it was an amazing achievement for the 
entire nation.
Malaria elimination was one of the greatest achievements for Sri Lanka after 
battling with the political crises. So, everyone was happy with this event. Being 
an island nation, Sri Lanka suffered a lot from malaria. A good number of her 
people got affected while many of them lost their lives for the disease. But the 
nation has prevented the disease with bravery. This is really a matter of 
courage and sincerity. Though this is a small country surrounded by water, the 
inhabitants are brave enough to deal with the most serious conditions. The 
matter was a dramatic gain for the nation. The achievement did not come 
overnight. Formulating policy for eliminating the disease was the key obstacle 
and its implementation was also tougher. Working in line with the strategy was 
almost impossible.
I was greatly influenced by this news. In fact, I am also a victim of malaria. A 
couple of years ago, I got affected with this disease. Since I was sick, I could not 
attend to my academic activities. As a result, I had to retake the semester at 
my graduate college. Besides, my health declined to a great extent. I became 
too weak to walk. It took about two consecutive months for me to recover 
from the illness. Hence, the news was of great importance to me. I know how 
exactly it feels to struggle with the disease. I was overwhelmed with joy that 

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nobody has to fall ill like me. Actually, everybody wants a healthy life and 
elimination of malaria has made it possible to a great extent.