chasm
英 ['kæzəm] 美 ['kæzəm]
n.分歧；深坑；裂口
GRE SAT
◉Etymology
单词"chasm"来源于希腊语单词*“khasma”*，意为“缝隙”或“开口”。这个词来自于古希腊语的“khasis”，意思是“张开”或“分裂”。随着时间的推移，这个词语演变成中古英语中的“chasme”，最终变成了现代英语中的“chasm”。这个词的用法通常指的是地球上的深邃裂缝或是不同群体或思想之间的显著分歧。
◉外刊例句
The New York Times - "The chasm between the rich and the poor continues to widen."《纽约时报》 - "贫富之间的鸿沟持续扩大。"The Guardian - "The political chasm in the country has led to a climate of unrest."《卫报》 - "国家的政治分歧导致了一个动荡不安的氛围。"The Economist - "The report highlighted the chasm in educational opportunities between urban and rural areas."《经济学人》 - "报告强调了城乡之间教育机会的巨大差异。"◉经典名著
In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities (1859), “chasm” is used to describe a figurative divide:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… We had everything before us, we had nothing before us… The chasm between the rich and the poor was ever widening, stretching the fabric of society to its limits.”查尔斯·狄更斯的《双城记》（1859） 中使用了“chasm”:“这是最美好的时代，也是最糟糕的时代……我们面前一切都在前方，我们面前一无所有……富人和穷人之间的鸿沟越来越大，将社会的结构拉伸到极限。”◉Usage Examples
(1) There is always a vast chasm between rich and poor.
(2) The chasm between you and he can not be solved by us.
(3) There is a chasm between the professor and the schoolmaster.
(4) We come now to a place in the path where there is a chasm.
(5) This new writer was totally unware of the chasm in the story.
(1) 贫富的鸿沟始终存在。
(2) 你和他之间的裂痕不是我们能解决的。
(3) 教授和校长之间出现了分歧。
(4) 我们现在来到半途中的一个峡谷。
(5) 这个写作新手完全没意识到故事中的脱节处。
◉Usage Notes
A chasm is a deep divide, either literal or figurative, such as a giant chasm in an ice cap or the growing chasm between two friends who haven't spoken in a long time.
The first syllable in chasm sounds like cat without the t sound: "CA-zum". It comes from the Greek word khasma, meaning "yawning hollow, gulf" and was originally used to describe a split in a land formation, such as a deep crack caused by an earthquake. The word still retains that sense, but today can also mean "a profound division between people or beliefs," such as a chasm between Republicans and Democrats.
◉Colins
1. [N-COUNT 可数名词]石罅；地缝；冰缝 A chasm is a very deep crack in rock, earth, or ice.
2. [N-COUNT 可数名词](事物或团体间的)显著差距，巨大分歧 If you say that there is a chasm between two things or between two groups of people, you mean that there is a very large difference between them. [usu with supp]
...the chasm that divides the worlds of university and industry.
将大学和企业两个世界分隔开的鸿沟
...the chasm between rich and poor in America.
美国显著的贫富差距
