He cultivated a fine literary taste by reading extensively.

cultivated 是动词 cultivate 的过去式。cultivate 由词根 cult（耕作、培养）和动词后缀 -ivate 组成，本义是"耕作、栽培"，引申为"培养、陶冶"的意思。这里指通过持续努力培养出某种能力或品味。