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Describe a time when you saw something very unusual or surprising. You should say:
what it was
where you saw it
who was with you
and explain why it was so unusual or surprising.
One of the most unusual things I’ve ever seen happened when I was in Japan a couple of years ago. I was visiting a small town called Nara, which is famous for its ancient temples and friendly wild deer that roam freely in the city. What surprised me was something the deer did that was completely unexpected.
In one of the parks, my friends and I saw a deer walk up to a vending machine and wait in front of it patiently. A moment later a local man walked over and actually bought the deer a snack from the machine! The vending machine, oddly enough, sold little packs of deer crackers, and the deer seemed to know exactly how the whole system worked.
I was completely fascinated. I had seen smart animals before, like parrots mimicking speech, but this level of awareness in a wild animal was something else. The deer behaved almost like a polite citizen, waiting its turn like it had done it a hundred times.
To this day, that moment has stayed with me — not just because it was unusual, but because it was so oddly civilised for a wild animal.
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