1·For many, this floating pavilion, claimed on parliamentary expenses by a Conservative knight of the shires, revealed something rotten about the House of Commons.
这个悬浮式的楼阁是一位保守党的郡爵士用议会的款项购下的，这个事件掀开了英国下院腐化篇章的一角。
2·History: the Qin Dynasty (221bc-206bc) first established the counties and shires of this area.
历史：秦朝(公元前221年-公元前206年)初次在这儿设立了县郡。
3·History: The Qin Dynasty (221bc-206bc) first established counties and shires in this area.
历史：秦朝(公元前221年-公元前206年)初次在这儿设立了县郡。
4·Firstly, they divided the country into shires, with shire courts and shire reeves, or sheriffs, responsible for administering law.
首先，他们把国家划分为郡，郡法庭和郡法官、或行政司法长官负责执法。
5·Boundaries between states or shires, they were crossed by fords which became the sites of towns, or by Bridges which were often points of battle.
作为州或郡的分界线，河流上的浅滩成为城镇的所在地，横跨河流上的桥梁则是兵家必争之地。