Read data from an Internet document?

[Ellie]

Is there any way at all, of reading data from a document on the Internet?

For example:

-There is a .txt file called www.mysite.web/version.txt
-The contents of this file are returned as a string
-$version = @string

If such a way exists, care to let me know? 

If not then I am requesting this. I don't know if this is actually possible to begin with, but it would be useful.

Commercial online game, etc.