Tom lived alone in a small house. He liked his house neat and quiet. One night, he heard a strange sound.
汤姆一个人住在一座小房子里。他喜欢把房子收拾得整洁安静。一天夜里，他听到一种奇怪的声音。
He got out of bed slowly. He walked to the kitchen in the dark. The sound got louder near the sink.
他慢慢地下了床。他在黑暗中走到厨房。声音在水槽附近越来越响。
A drip fell from the kitchen faucet. It went drip, drip, drip all night. The kitchen faucet leaked again.
厨房的水龙头在滴水。整个晚上都是滴答、滴答、滴答。厨房的水龙头又漏水了。
Tom put a bowl under the drip. He went back to bed. He could not sleep well. In the morning, he looked at it closely.
汤姆在滴水的地方放了一个碗。他回到床上，可是睡得不好。早上，他仔细察看了一番。
Water dripped from a small rubber part inside. Tom did not know the name of the part. He decided to ask someone at the store.
水是从里面一个小小的橡胶零件上滴下来的。汤姆不知道这个零件叫什么名字。他决定去店里问问别人。
Tom drove to the hardware store nearby. He showed the old part to the clerk. "You need a new washer," the clerk said. Tom bought one and a small wrench.
汤姆开车去了附近的五金店。他把旧零件拿给店员看。“你需要换一个新的垫圈。”店员说。汤姆买了一个垫圈和一把小扳手。
Back home, he turned off the water first. He took the faucet apart slowly. He removed the old, worn washer. He put the new washer in its place.
回到家，他先关掉了水。他慢慢地把水龙头拆开。他取下了那个磨损的旧垫圈。他把新垫圈装在了原来的位置。
Tom turned the water back on. He waited and watched the faucet closely. No drip came from the tap.
汤姆把水重新打开。他等着，仔细盯着水龙头。龙头里一滴水也没有滴下来。
Tom smiled and dried his hands. He put his tools back in the drawer. He made a cup of tea and sat down. The kitchen was finally quiet again.
汤姆笑了，擦干了手。他把工具放回抽屉里。他泡了一杯茶，坐了下来。厨房终于又安静了。
