14．Your phone shuts down randomly.You have to charge it constantly.And you can barely see the screen through a spiderweb of cracks.Time for a new phone.But what should you do with the old one？The number one rule：never throw it in a garbage can or recycle bin.It might start a fire or even explode.
Smartphones contain lithium-ion batteries.So do tablets，laptop computers，electric cars，and many other devices，including some cameras，headphones，power tools，and more.These batteries offer the most energy for their size compared to other batteries.But if a lithium-ion battery gets damaged，it may overheat，leading to flames，fire，or even an explosion.
In 2017，cleaners in New York City threw an innocent-looking cardboard box into their garbage truck.When the truck's compactor （垃圾搗碎機(jī)） squeezed the box and a battery hidden inside —BOOM!The battery exploded.The workers managed to take out the box and throw it in a puddle （水坑），putting out the flames.But explosions and fires are on the rise at recycling centers around the world，and lithium-ion batteries are usually to blame.
To safely get rid of a device that contains these batteries，take it to an electronics recycler.You can search for a drop-off location at call2 recycle.org.
Even professionals have trouble handling some devices.Isauro Flores-Hernandez takes apart electronics at Cascade Asset Management in Madison，Wisconsin.Safely removing the battery from one iPad took him 40 minutes.
Many tech companies are more concerned about selling new devices than repairing or recycling old ones.They make more money that way.So they tend not to make it easy to break down their products.It may cost more to take the item apart than the materials inside are worth.That's a deal-breaker for recycling centers.If an item is too tough to break down，it will go into a landfill.Do you think tech companies should do more to support safe and easy recycling？
（1）What should we do with a broken cell phone？
A．Replace it with a new one.
B．Throw it into a garbage can.
C．Turn to an electronics recycler.
D．Recycle the inside battery by ourselves.
（2）What can we know about lithium-ion batteries？
A．They become overheated easily.
B．They are likely to be damaged.
C．They have advantages in power storage.
D．They are only used in smartphones.
（3）Why a case is referred to in Paragraph 3？
A．To prove cleaners are not professional.
B．To note lithium-ion batteries cause fires easily.
C．To show lithium-ion batteries are pretty dangerous.
D．To reveal the importance of dealing with batteries properly.
（4）What can be inferred about tech companies？
A．They hold back recycling electronic products.
B．They are worried about selling new products.
C．They make more money by recycling products.
D．They plan to cooperate with recycling centers.
