What exactly is technology? There aren't any easy answers. Despite the fact that technology has re-mained one of the most controversial areas of modern science, especially when linked to human life or so-cial morals, much progress has been made in recent years, which has made the experts and common peo-ple think again.
Technology is the application of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of the ordinary people, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars, television sets, cell phones, robots and so on. However, technology has also increased the a-mount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span through medical technology.
Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life?In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer may be yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and devel-opment, and the latest statistics show that developed countries are continuing to pump billions of dollars every year into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce（稀少的）resources we may well find technological substitutes for many of them through our research programs.
Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production（land, labor and capital）are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills or techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.
