"Paul Preuss - Venus Prime 1 - Breaking Strain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Preuss Paul)

She was reminded of what had become part of her. She had been taught languagesтАУmany of them,
including her ownтАУby conversing and reading aloud at far beyond the level of vocabulary considered
appropriate to her age. She had been taught to perform on the violin and the piano since infancy, since
long before the fingers of her hands could stretch to form chords, and in the same way she had been
taught dance and gymnastics and horseback riding, by being made to practice incessantly, by having the
most expected of her. She had manipulated space-filling images on a computer, and learned drawing and
sculpture from masters; she had been immersed in a swirling social matrix in the schoolroom since
before she could speak; she had been tutored in set theory, geometry, and algebra from the time she had
been able to distinguish among her toes and demonstrate Piagetian conservation. тАЬL. N.тАЭ had a long
number attached to her file name, but she was the first subject of SPARTA, which had been created by
her father and mother.

Her parents had tried not to unduly influence the rating of their daughterтАЩs achievements. But even

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 ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S VENUS PRIME: VOLUME I

where double-blind scoring was impossible, her mastery was evident. Revealed here on the flatscreen, as
she had never seen it confirmed before, her excellence was enough to make her weep.

The doctor was immediately at her side. тАЬIs something wrong?тАЭ She wiped at her tears and shook her
head, but he gently insisted. тАЬItтАЩs my job to be of help.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs onlyтАУI wish they could tell me,тАЭ she said. тАЬTell me themselves. That IтАЩm doing all right.тАЭ

He pulled a chair around and sat beside her. тАЬThey would if they could, you know. They really canтАЩt.
Under the circumstances.тАЭ

She nodded but did not answer. She advanced the file.

How would she respond to what came next? he wondered, and watched with what he hoped was strictly
professional curiosity. Her memories terminated abruptly in her seventeenth year. The file did not. She
was almost twenty-one now. . . .

She frowned at the screen. тАЬWhat is that evaluation? тАШCellular programming.тАЩ I never studied that. I
donтАЩt even know what it is.тАЭ

тАЬOh?тАЭ The doctor leaned forward. тАЬWhatтАЩs the date?тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩre right.тАЭ She laughed. тАЬIt must be what theyтАЩre planning for next spring.тАЭ

тАЬBut look, theyтАЩve already assigned you scores. A whole group.тАЭ

She laughed again, delighted. тАЬThey probably think thatтАЩs what I ought to score.тАЭ

For him, no surprises after allтАУand in her mind, no surprises would be permitted. Her immersion in the
reality her brain had recreated for her could not be drained by a few numbers on a flatscreen. тАЬThey
think they know you pretty well,тАЭ the doctor said dryly.

тАЬPerhaps IтАЩll fool them.тАЭ She was happy at the prospect.