In 1993, I had my first opportunity to visit Russia as a representative of the University of California. I was there to provide some technical assistance in the area of agricultural labor management. “Russians are a very polite people,” I had been tutored before my arrival. One of my interpreters, once I was there, explained that a gentleman will pour the limonad (type of juice) for the ladies and show politeness.

Toward the end of my three week trip I was invited by my young Russian host and friend Nicolai Vasilevich and his lovely wife Yulya out to dinner. At the end of a wonderful meal, Yulya asked if I would like a banana. I politely declined and thanked her, and explained I was most satisfied with the meal. But the whole while my mind was racing: “What do I do? Do I offer her a banana even though they are as close to her as they are to me? What is the polite thing to do?”

“Would you like a banana?” I asked Yulya.

“Yes,” she smiled, but made no attempt to take any of the three bananas in the fruit basket. “What now?” I thought.

“Which one would you like?” I asked awkwardly.

“That one,” she pointed at one of the bananas. Thinking about Russian politeness, I picked the banana Yulya had pointed at and peeled(去皮) it half way and handed it to her. Smiles in Yulya’s and Nicolai’s faces told me I had done the right thing. After this experience I spent much time letting the world know that in Russia, the polite thing is to peel the bananas for the ladies.

Sometime during my third trip I was politely corrected by a Russian friend. “Oh, no, in Russia, when a man peels a banana for a lady it means he has a romantic interest in her.” How embarrassed I felt! And I had been proudly telling everyone about my findings.

Certain lessons have to be learned the hard way. Some well meaning articles and presentations on cultural differences have a potential to do more harm than good and may not be as amusing. They present, like my bananas, too many generalizations or quite an inaccurate view.

65. The author went to Russia in 1993 to ________.

       A. visit a famous university                        B. work as an interpreter

       C. offer some professional help                   D. do some agricultural work

66. The author decided to offer Yulya a banana because ________.

       A. he sat closer to bananas                         B. he wanted to show politeness

       C. she gave him one first                                   D. he wanted to win her heart

67. How did the author probably feel after he saw the smiles in Yulya’s and Nicolai’s faces?

A. Awkward.         B. Embarrassed.            C. Surprised.         D. Relieved.

68. The author told this story mainly to express that _________.

       A. Russian politeness is rather difficult to understand

       B. man should never peel a banana for a lady in Russia

       C. what people say about other culture may not be true

       D. funny things may happen anywhere at any time