浙江绍兴市上虞区近日出台政策鼓励生育，新政明确对无房户或现自有商品房人均面积不超过30平方米的三孩家庭，购买商品房时一次性发放30万元房票。请看本报周四的报道：

Financial incentives to encourage births have been kicked up a notch recently, with one affluent region in Zhejiang Province saying that families with three children may be eligible for a one-time housing coupon worth 300,000 yuan (US$43,100).

报道中的up a notch就是“加码”，通常和动词take, step, kick一起出现；反之，也可以说down a notch (调低、减缓)。例如：

Trust me, this spice blend will really take your barbecue sauce recipe up a notch.

我保证，这种混合调味料能让你的烧烤酱汁更上一层楼。