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阅读理解热点话题综合练习03
(2023·陕西宝鸡·统考三模)As firefighters battled a five-alarm fire al a supermarket in the Bronx earlier this month, New York City officials gathered beside what they said was the cause of the fire: the blackened shell of what was once a sit-on electric scooter. The burning joined the more than 200 fires in New York City last year caused by batteries from e-bikes, electric scooters and similar devices. Lithium-ion (锂)battery explosions are now the third leading cause of fires in the city, the fire department says. In short, there are more fires because there are so many more e-bikes and scooters these days.
Lithium-ion batteries power many rechargeable devices that are part of our modern lives: cell phones, laptops, vapes, cordless power tools and electric vehicles of all kinds, from cars to scooters to e-bikes to hoverboards. They’re small, lightweight and powerful but they’re also prone to overheating and catching fire, said Michael Pecht, a professor of engineering at the University of Maryland. “Ever since lithium-ion batteries started to be popular in products, we’ve seen fires, ” he said.
At issue is the high density of the batteries, which is a double-edged sword, said Pecht, who also serves as director of the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, a university research center that consults with companies on reliability and safety issues, including batteries.
“They can provide a lot of power to our cell phones and to our computers for a relatively long period of time in a very small volume, ” he said. “But because we have so much energy packed in that small volume, if there is a problem, then they’re very flammable. ” Defects or contamination in the manufacturing process can eventually lead to short circuiting or other failures.
There’s not currently much regulation of e-bikes and scooters. But fire officials add that. you should charge your device away from flammable materials like furniture and pillows, and that you shouldn’t charge or stor