Watching TV is a very popular pastime（消遣）in the UK. But what kind of programs do British people like to watch? Well, the most-watched TV programs are usually on {#blank#}1{#/blank#} four times every week. They are programs based in one neighborhood that try to describe {#blank#}2{#/blank#} life in the UK — we call these dreams 'soap operas' or 'soaps'.

    Back in the early days of TV, husbands went out to work and wives stayed at home, looking after the house and the children. Most of these {#blank#}3{#/blank#} programs were aimed at amusing the housewives who were at home,{#blank#}4{#/blank#} doing the washing. Companies selling washing powder（洗衣粉）would advertise their products between the programs, and sometimes those companies would even sponsor（赞助）the 'soap operas'.

    One day a beggar (乞丐) was going from house to house. He had a(n){#blank#}1{#/blank#} in one hand and at every house he asked for money to buy something to eat. He felt sad about being so unlucky in life, and kept {#blank#}2{#/blank#} why some people always wanted more. He thought that {#blank#}3{#/blank#} he had enough money to buy food and clothes, he would be very happy and wouldn't want anything more.

    Then Fortune (财富) came down the street. She {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the beggar and said to him, "I want to help "you. Open your bag and I will put {#blank#}5{#/blank#} into it, but only on this condition (条件) All that goes into your bag will be {#blank#}6{#/blank#} but all that falls on the ground (地面) will turn into dust ( 尘土)."

    "OK," said the beggar.

    "Your bag is {#blank#}7{#/blank#} I can't put too much in it," said Fortune.

    The beggar opened his bag and Fortune put money into it. His bag grew very{#blank#}8{#/blank#}. "You are rich now," said Fortune. “I should stop! Your bag is going to {#blank#}9{#/blank#}!"

    However, the beggar said he wanted some more. Fortune {#blank#}10{#/blank#} more money to his bag and the bag broke. All the money fell to the ground and turned into dust. The beggar had nothing but his old bag. He was as poor as before.

    Every morning my father buys a newspaper on his way to work. Every evening my mother reads magazines at home. And every night, I look at the posters with photos of David Beckham and Yao Ming on my bedroom wall before I go to sleep. Can we{#blank#}1{#/blank#}life without paper or print?

    Paper was first created about 2,000 years ago, and has been made from silk, cotton, bamboo, and since the 19th century, from wood. People learned to write words on paper to make a book. But in those days, books could{#blank#}2{#/blank#}be produced one at a time by hand and they were expensive and rare. Because there weren't many books, few people learned to read.

    Then printing was invented in China. When printing was developed greatly at the beginning of the 11th century, books could be produced more quickly and cheaply. Then more people learned to read. After that, knowledge and{#blank#}3{#/blank#}spread quickly.

    Today information can be received online, downloaded from the Internet rather than found in books, and information can be kept on CD-ROMs or machines,{#blank#}4{#/blank#}MP3 players.

    Computers are already used in classrooms, and newspapers and magazines can already be read online. So will books be replaced by computers one day? I am not sure.