这个篮子原本只包含美元，欧元，英镑和日圆，而这些货币都是符合国际货币基金组织两个准入标准的世界级货币：它们都由位居世界前列的出口国发行，而且是“可以自由使用的 ” — —也就是说可以在全世界各处进行兑换。
The basket had previously comprised the US dollar, the euro, the British pound, and the Japanese yen – all world-class currencies that meet the IMF’s two criteria for admission: they are issued by the world’s leading exporters, and they are “freely usable,” meaning that they are widely exchanged worldwide.