american indians played a central role in the war known as the american revolution. to them, however, the dispute between the colonists and england was peripheral (边缘的). for american indians the conflict was a war for american indian independence, and whichever side they chose they lost it. mary brant was a powerful influence among the iroquois. she was a mohawk, the leader of the society of all iroquois matrons, and the widow of sir william johnson, superintendent of indian affairs. her brother, joseph brant, is the best-known american indian warrior of the revolution, yet she may have exerted even more influence in the confederacy than he did .she used her influence to keep the western tribes of iroquois loyal to the english king, george ⅲ.when the colonists won the war, she and her tribe had to abandon their lands-and retreat to canada. on the other side, nancy ward held positions of authority in the cherokee nation. she had fought as a warrior in the war against the greeks and as a reward for her heroism was made “beloved woman” of the tribe. this Office made her chief of the women′ s council and a member of the council of chiefs. she was friendly with the white settlers and supported the patriots during the revolution. yet the cherokees too lost their land.
1. what is the main point the author makes in the passage?
A. siding with the english in the revolution helped american indians regain their land.
B. at the time of the revolution, the superintendent of indian affairs had little power.
C. regardless of whom they supported in the revolution, american indians lost their land.
D. the outcome of the revolution was largely determined by american indian women.
2. according to the passage, mary brant′ s husband had been a _________ .
A. government official B. mohawk chief
C. revolutionary hero D. cherokee council member
3.to which tribe did nancy ward belong?
A. mohawk. B. iroquois .C. cherokee. D. greek.
4. how did nancy ward gain her position of authority?
A. by bravery in battle. B. by marriage to a chief.
C. by joining the confederacy. D. by being born into a powerful family.
5. according to the passage, what did mary brant and nancy ward have in common?
A. each was called “beloved woman” by her tribe.
B. each influenced her tribe′ s role in the american revolution.
C. each lost a brother in the american revolution.
D. each went to england after the american revolution.
【答案与解析】：
1.【答案】C
【解析】这一段的中心意思是：无论美洲印第安人在美国革命战争中支持谁，最终他们都失去了他们自己的土地。文中举了两个例子来说明这一观点。
2.【答案】A
【解析】在第五句作者介绍说：mary brant 是mohawk 整个iroquios部落的首领，是印第安事务主管sir william johnson 的遗孀。这说明mary brant的丈夫曾是政府官员。
3.【答案】C
【解析】在第九句作者讲到：nancy ward 在cherokee民族掌权。这说明她是属cherokee部族。
4.【答案】A
【解析】在第十句讲到：nancy ward 在与希腊的交战中作战勇猛，作为对她的女英雄行为的奖赏，她成了“beloved woman” (“受人爱戴的女人”)。这个职位使她成了妇女协会的头领及首领委员会的一个成员。由此可知nancy ward是通过她的勇敢获得她的职位的。
5.【答案】B
【解析】这道题的题意为：mary brant 和nancy ward有何共性。作者举这两个例子最终要说明的是，无论印第安人是支持英殖民者还是支持美国，最终都没有得到应有的待遇。这两位领袖人物的行为说明她们各自都用自己的行为影响了各自部落在革命战争中的作用。