Question 16 is based on the recording you have just heard.

Recording One

听力原文

        While it has long been a practice in Asian countries, many people in Western countries have yet to embrace the “No Shoes in the House” rule. For many in those countries, wiping their shoes before going inside is regarded as sufficient. (16) [After all, they may think a little dirt doesn’t hurt anyone.] But I can give you several good reasons why people should remove their shoes before going inside their homes.

         Bacteria are everywhere, they collect on your shoes when you walk along sidewalks, public-toilet floors and even office carpets. In one study conducted at an American university, researchers collected microscopic germs from footwear. (17) [They found that up to 421,000 units of bacteria can collect on the outside of a single shoe.] And it only takes a little bit of dirt to damage your timber floors. The more dirt you track in, the more it scratches, and the more often you have to clean, the extra scrubbing will harm your floors over time. Shoes can also leave marks and scratches on floors, especially high heels or shoes with pointy or hard parts. These can dent and scratch your floor. And if you live in an apartment building, removing your noisy shoes is the polite thing to do out of consideration for your downstairs neighbors. Walking around with bare feet is actually better for your feet. It strengthens the muscles in your feet. Though many people are accustomed to wearing shoes during all their waking hours. The more time you spend wearing shoes, the more likely you are to incur foot injuries as a result.

        And if people aren’t yet convinced by my arguments, I can give one final reason. (18) [The dust and toxic chemicals you bring into your house via your shoes can deteriorate the air quality in your home.] Toxic chemicals are everywhere in our lives: insect killing chemicals used on public grass areas; cleaning chemicals on the floors of public areas. By kicking off your shoes before you enter the home, you are denying entry to these harmful chemicals. Given the amount of time we spend in classrooms and the number of shoes that passed through them every day, you may well understand me if I were to propose a “No Shoes in the Classroom” rule.

16. Why don’t many Westerners take off shoes before entering a house? （为什么许多西方人进屋前不脱鞋？）

解析：C。录音开头说到，对于西方国家的许多人来说，在进屋之前擦鞋就足够了，他们可能认为一点污垢不会伤害任何人。C项符合题意，其中a little dirt harms no one是a little dirt doesn’t hurt anyone的同义替换，故为正确答案。

错项排除：录音中提到，穿鞋的时间越长，就越有可能脚受伤（foot injuries），因此脱鞋并不会使脚受伤，故A项排除。B项的never developed the habit和D项的troublesome to do so在录音中都无依据，属于利用常识干扰，故均可排除。