2024 is just hours away. Before the world welcomes a new year, we remember some of the influential people who died in 2023.2024年只有几个小时的路程。 在世界欢迎新的一年之前，我们记得一些有影响力的人在2023年去世。

We start with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.我们从美国最高法院大法官桑德拉·戴·奥康纳（Sandra Day O’Connor）开始。

O’Connor died on December 1. She made history in 1981 when she became the first woman appointed to the United States’ highest court. She served in the position for 25 years.奥康纳（O’Connor）于12月1日去世。 她任职25年。

The judge was considered a centrist, or a moderate, in her court opinions. She was often considered the “swing vote” on major issues such as abortion, affirmative action and voting rights.在法院的意见中，法官被认为是中间派或温和的。 她经常被认为是关于堕胎，平权行动和投票权等重大问题的“摇摆投票”。

Sandra Day O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas in 1930. She grew up on a large cow farm there.桑德拉·戴·奥康纳（Sandra Day O’Connor）于1930年出生于德克萨斯州的埃尔帕索（El Paso）。

The young Sandra was an excellent student and entered Stanford University in California when she was 16, earning a degree in economics. She went on to study law at Stanford. She graduated in the top 10 percent of her class in 1952.年轻的桑德拉（Sandra）是一名出色的学生，并在16岁时进入加利福尼亚的斯坦福大学（Stanford University），获得了经济学学位。 她继续在斯坦福大学学习法律。 她在1952年毕业于班级的前10％。

President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981. In announcing his choice, he described the judge as “a person for all seasons.”罗纳德·里根（Ronald Reagan）总统于1981年提名她进入美国最高法院。在宣布自己的选择时，他将法官描述为“所有季节的人”。

American President Joe Biden spoke at her funeral. He called her “a daughter of the West” and “a pioneer in her own right.” He praised her for seeking, in his words, “equal justice under law her whole life.”美国总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）在葬礼上讲话。 他称她为“西方的女儿”和“自身的先驱”。 用他的话，他称赞她“一生都在法律下平等正义”。

O’Connor died from problems linked to the disease dementia and a lung infection. She was 93 years old.奥康纳（O’Connor）死于与疾病痴呆和肺部感染有关的问题。 她93岁。

The world also said goodbye to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died November 29.全世界还与前美国国务卿亨利·基辛格（Henry Kissinger）告别，后者于11月29日去世。He was 100 years old.他今年100岁。

The German-born Jewish refugee served as the U.S. top diplomat under two presidents, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He won praise and severe criticism in the U.S. and around the world.德国出生的犹太难民在两位总统理查德·尼克松（Richard Nixon）和杰拉尔德·福特（Gerald Ford）的领导下曾担任美国顶级外交官。 他在美国和世界各地赢得了赞美和严厉的批评。