Paper is one of the most important products ever invented by man. Widespread  1   of written language would not have been   2   without some cheap and practical material to write   3  . The invention of paper meant that more people could be educated because more books could be printed and   4  . Together with the printing press, paper   5   an important way to spread knowledge.
    Paper was first made in China. In Egypt and the West, paper was not very   6  used before the year 1400. The Egyptians wrote on a type of paper   7   from a glasslike water plant; Europeans used a writing material made from the skin of a sheep or goat   8   many hundreds of years. We have learnt some of the most important facts of European history from records or documents still   9   in good condition. The Chinese first made paper about 2,000 years ago. China still   10  pieces of paper which were made as long ago as that. It was made from the hair-like parts of certain plants.