2月20日，正在菲律賓南萊特省泥石流災區參加救援行動的美國官員說，由美國和馬來西亞搜救隊伍帶來的地震探測儀和聲音探測器，探測到了地下扒土和有節奏性的輕拍聲。雖然救援人員目前無法確定這是幸存者發出的求救聲，或是松軟泥土移位的聲音，但聲音探測器畢竟說明被埋在泥中的師生有生還的可能。

請看《中國日報》相關報道：Rescue workers refused to give up hope of finding survivors in an elementary school buried by up to 100 feet of mud, digging into the night Monday after detecting what the provincial governor called "signs of life."

Sounds of scratching and a rhythmic tapping were picked up by seismic sensors andsound-detection gearbrought in by US and Malaysian forces.

報道中的sound-detection gear就是給救援工作帶來希望的"聲音探測器"。就這個合成詞本身來講并不難，今天主要談談sound在作為"探測"時的其它用法。Sound作動詞時有"測探…的深度"之意，如：The expedition team is sounding the distance to the bottom and to the ice overhead（探險隊員正在探測從水底到頂上冰塊的距離）。

由此，sound衍生出"試探、探詢"的意思，如：She listened to their conversation and tried to sound them as to their real intention（她傾聽著她們的談話，試圖探聽出他們的真實意圖）。這時，sound常和out連用，如：The mayor sounded out the experts' views on the question of environmental pollution（市長征詢專家們對環境污染的意見）。