VOA常速英语2008年-Equatorial Guinea Says Four Dead, Several Missi

By Uma Ramiah
Dakar
16 April 2008

Four people are dead and seven missing after a jet carrying officials from Equatorial Guinea's ruling political party plunged¹ into the Gulf² of Guinea Wednesday morning. Uma Ramiah reports for the VOA from our West Africa bureau in Dakkar.

The plane crashed at sea while trying to land on the island of Annobon, a government spokesperson of the oil rich, tropical West African country said Wednesday.

Journalist Rodrigo Angue Nguema, in the capital Malabo, said passengers onboard were members of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema's Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea.

Airport officials told the French news agency AFP the plane was carrying government ministers, lawmakers and senior officials from Annobon.

The officials were headed to Annobon, 435 miles southwest of Malabo, to launch a political campaign.

Equatorial Guinea is set to hold legislative³ elections on May 4.

The journalist said the Russian-made jet belonging to the country's ministry⁴ of defense⁵ was carrying five crew members and six passengers. The flight originated from Bata, Equatorial Guinea's economic hub on the mainland.

There was no immediate⁶ word on the cause of the crash.

Equatorial Guinea's planes are blacklisted by the European Union on grounds of safety. They are not allowed to travel in EU airspace.

Equatorial Guinea is one of the largest oil producers in sub-Saharan Africa, but despite a growing economy, the country remains⁷ at the bottom of a United Nations index measuring development.

1 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。