raise the bar  提高標準

This is Bill Quinn with English in the News. Today’s key phrase is “raise the bar”. Have you ever watched the Summer Olympics, and seen the high jump event? That’s where athletes try to jump as high as they can over a bar. As the event goes on, the bar is raised to higher levels in order to make the athletes jump higher—it gives them a new goal to reach. “Raise the bar” has become a popular term in the business, politics and sports, and it means to increase your goals, expectations and performance.

In business, corporate leaders often say “We need to raise the bar” when they want to motivate their employees to perform better. In politics, “raise the bar” can mean improving the efficiency of government services. And in sports, coaches tell their players to “raise the bar” which means to work harder and play better.

When I worked in sales, my boss wasn’t satisfied with my performance, so he told me to “raise the bar”—which forced me to work harder and aim for higher goals. By raising the bar, I became a better employee.

英文片語“raise the bar” 裡面bar這個字可不是酒吧,而是像跳高時所用的橫桿.選手會奮力跳過橫桿,隨著比賽進行,橫桿也會越來越高,能夠跳過最高的橫桿就是冠軍.

raise the bar這個片語也用在政治和商業領域,在公司裡老闆經常說We need to raise the bar,我們必須提高水準,”也就是要求員工拿出更佳表現,追求更高的目標.

Please click HERE for listening online.

 

photo credits