单选题 People have been fond of roses since the beginning of time. In fact, it is said that the wise and knowing Confucius had a 600-book library specifically on how to care for roses.
The rose is a legend on its own. The story goes that during the Roman Empire, there was a beautiful girl named Rhodanthe. Her beauty drew many suitors (求婚者). Exhausted by their pursuit, Rhodanthe was forced to hide in the temple of her friend Diana to stay away from her suitors. Unfortunately, Diana became jealous. And when the suitors broke down her temple gates to get near their beloved Rhodanthe, she became angry, turning Rhodanthe into a rose and her suitors into thorns.
In Greek legend, the rose was created by Chloris, the Greek goddess of flowers. It was just a lifeless seed that Chloris found one day in a clearing in the woods. She asked Aphrodite, the goddess of love, to give her beauty, Dionysus, the god of wine, to give her a sweet scent (气味), and the three Graces to give her charm, brightness and joy. Then Zephyr, the West Wind, blew away the clouds so that Apollo, the sun god, could shine and make this flower blossom. And so the rose was born and was immediately called the Queen of Flowers.
The first true primary red rose seen in Europe was introduced in 1792 from China, where it had been growing wild in the mountains. Immediately, rose breeders began using it to make a hybrid (杂交品种). Absolute perfection still hasn"t been gained, and of course never will!
There is a special rose language invented as a secret means of communication between lovers who were not allowed to express their love for one another openly. In the mid-18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this in her letters, which were published after her death. These letters inspired many books on the language of flowers, each describing the secret message hidden in each flower. A red rose bud (花蕾) stands for secret affection, an open white rose asks "Will you love me?", an open red rose means "I"m full of love and desire", while an open yellow rose asks "Don"t you love me anymore?"

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 词语理解题。根据本文最后一段第一句“There is a special rose language…”以及第二句“In the mid-18th century the wife of the British ambassador in Constantinople described this in her letters, which were published after her death.”可知，情人之间为了表达爱意而发明了一种玫瑰语言，而在君士坦丁堡的英国大使的夫人将这种特殊的玫瑰语言记录在书信中。指示代词this通常前指，故答案为C。