Module 2 The Republic of Tatarstan

“You wouldn’t believe it,

but I would rather live in Mamadysh

rather than in Venetia, Rome or Naples…“

From a letter of Leo Tolstoy

17 March 1786

PREVIEW

A. What do you know about Tatarstan? Do the quiz and say which of the data were surprising for you?

1) Tatarstan is situated approximately 800 km … of Moscow.

a) east

b) west

c) north

2) Islam was established as a state religion in ….

a) 1552

b) 922

c) 1147

3) During the years of the World War II, Boris Pasternak used to live in ….

a) Naberezhniye Chelny

b) Chistopol

c) Bavly

4) Kazan was captured by the troops of Emel'yan Pugachev in ….

a) 1774

b) 1147

c) 1552

5) The second largest town of Tatarstan is ….

a) Bugulma

b) Chelny

c) Nizhnekamsk

6) On … Mintimer Shaimiyev was elected the first President of the Republic of Tatarstan.

a) 25th March, 1990

b) 25th March, 2005

c) 12th June, 1991

7) There are about … small lakes in the Republic.

a) 8,000

b) 4,500

c) 1,000

8) The Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan was adopted on ….

a) September 5, 1991

b) November 6, 1992

c) June 12, 1990

READING: TATARSTAN

A. Read and translate the text.