VOA标准英语2011-Newly Launched Senegal Airlines to Begin

A new regional air carrier called Senegal Airlines will begin flights this month to neighboring countries in West Africa.

A boisterous¹ crowd gathered at the international airport in Senegal's capital, Dakar, for an official ceremony to inaugurate the country's newest regional carrier, Senegal Airlines.

The airline will begin flights on January 25 to other West African countries, including Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

Company CEO Edgardo Badiali says he eventually hopes to expand to include flights to Europe and North America.

"I think the geographical² position and the stability of the country will help us to build what we would like to build, which is basically to have a hub in the sub-region in West Africa," Badiali said.

The new airline replaces the now defunct³ Air Senegal International, which suspended operations in 2009 due to continued money problems and a public falling out with its controlling partner, Morocco's Royal Air Maroc.

The government hopes to avoid a repeat of its mistakes. It owns only a minority share of the new Senegal Airlines, with the majority held by a broad group of private investors⁴, including Senegalese-American rapper Akon.

Dubai-based Emirates Airlines provided training and technical help for Senegal Airlines staff. The airline has purchased six Airbuses for its fleet.

At the ceremony Wednesday, the airline showed off two of its planes, with bright green, yellow and red stripes on the tail representing the national flag.

Badiali says his goal is to capture 40 percent of the Dakar market.

Senegal is building a new airport outside Dakar to handle more flights to continue its emergence⁵ as a key entry point to West Africa. The airport is expected to be complete by 2012.

1 boisterous   

adj.喧闹的，欢闹的

参考例句：

• I don't condescend to boisterous displays of it.我并不屈就于它热热闹闹的外表。
• The children tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.孩子们经常是先静静地聚集在一起，不一会就开始吵吵嚷嚷戏耍开了。

2 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

3 defunct   

adj.死亡的；已倒闭的

参考例句：

• The scheme for building an airport seems to be completely defunct now.建造新机场的计划看来整个完蛋了。
• This schema object is defunct.No modifications are allowed until it is made active again.此架构对象不起作用。在重新激活之前，不能进行任何改动。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。