【正确答案】
【答案解析】[听力原文]8-10
The value of an SDR has been determined on the basis of a five-currency basket since January 1, 1981. This basket is composed of the currencies of the five IMF members with the largest export of goods and resources during the period of 1975-1979, with weights based on export balers and currency holdings by Fund members over the same period. At present, the weights in the currency composition are 42% for U. S. dollars, 19% for the German mark, and 13 percent each for pound sterling, Japanese yen and French franc. The definition of the basket is revised every five years to take changes in trading patterns into account.
The first three allocations of SDRs took place in 1970, and the last of the second three allocations, started in 1979, was made in 1981. This last allocation brought the total number of SDRs outstanding to 21 433 million, of which 779. 3 have been allocated to Canada since 1970. The value of the SDR in terms of the U. S. dollar (or any other currency) fluctuates as the spot exchange rates fluctuate. For example, Canadian dollars per unit of SDR stood at 10 477 in 1970, 15 219 in 1980 and 13 620 in 1982. Beginning May 1, 1981, the IMF made new arrangements aimed at strengthening the international reserve-asset role of the SDR, but time will tell whether this role will be as good as that played by gold or gold-linked dollar, or merely an international unit of account for the denomination of contracts.
8. What are SDRs actually?