很多同学写文化对比类英语作文时，第一反应是拿中国和西方国家作比较，其实东南亚也是一个不错的写作对象。东南亚离我们近，文化上既有相似之处，又有明显差别，写起来素材丰富，不容易空洞。这篇文章就来讲讲这类作文怎么写，并附上一篇可以直接参考的范文。
写这类作文可以从哪几个角度切入
第一是宗教信仰。东南亚国家大多信奉佛教、伊斯兰教或印度教。泰国、缅甸、柬埔寨以小乘佛教为主，印度尼西亚和马来西亚则以伊斯兰教为主，寺庙和清真寺随处可见。中国虽然也有佛教，但多数人没有严格的宗教信仰，宗教对日常生活的影响相对小一些。
第二是饮食文化。东南亚菜喜欢用香茅、咖喱、鱼露、椰浆调味，口味偏酸辣，代表菜有泰国冬阴功汤、越南河粉。中国菜有八大菜系，做法多样，更讲究火候和色香味俱全，主食以米饭和面食为主。
第三是节日习俗。东南亚有泼水节、水灯节、开斋节等特色节日，氛围热闹开放。中国传统节日如春节、中秋、端午，更强调家庭团圆和祭祖，情感色彩更浓。
第四是礼仪和身体语言。泰国人见面行合十礼，马来西亚人习惯用右手递东西。中国人见面多握手或点头，长辈晚辈之间的称呼和礼节也更讲究长幼有序。
第五是家庭观念。这一点其实是相似的地方，双方都重视家庭、尊敬老人，写进文章里可以作为“同”，让对比更客观、不生硬。
英语范文参考
Culture Differences Between Southeast Asia and China
Although Southeast Asian countries and China are close neighbors, their cultures are different in many ways.
First, religion plays a bigger role in daily life in Southeast Asia. Most people in Thailand and Myanmar believe in Buddhism, while Indonesia and Malaysia are mainly Muslim countries. Temples and mosques can be seen everywhere. In China, many people do not have a strong religious belief, so religion influences daily life less.
Second, the food is quite different. Southeast Asian dishes often use lemongrass, curry and coconut milk, and the taste is usually sour and spicy, like Thai Tom Yum soup. Chinese food has eight famous cuisines, and people pay more attention to cooking skills, color and flavor.
Third, festivals show the difference too. Southeast Asian people celebrate the Water Festival and Eid al-Fitr, while Chinese people value the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, which stand for family reunion.
However, the two cultures also have something in common. Both Chinese and Southeast Asian people care a lot about family and respect the elderly.
In my opinion, understanding these differences helps us communicate better and make more friends. Culture differences are not walls but bridges between people.
实用词汇和句型
常用词汇包括：religion 宗教、Buddhism 佛教、temple 寺庙、lemongrass 香茅、coconut milk 椰浆、curry 咖喱、Water Festival 泼水节、Eid al-Fitr 开斋节、family reunion 家庭团圆。句型方面，对比类作文最常用 First、Second、Third 这样的顺序词，以及 while、however、in contrast 等对比词。结尾可以用 In my opinion 引出自己的看法，让文章有观点、有态度。
写作时的几个注意事项
一是别写成流水账。不要把想到的差异一条条列完就结束，每个角度最好配一个具体例子，比如提到泼水节，就顺带写一句人们在街上互相泼水祝福，画面感立刻就有了。
二是有“异”也要有“同”。只写差异会显得片面，加入一两个共同点，比如都重视家庭、都以米饭为主食，文章会更全面、更有说服力。
三是结尾别偷懒。很多人结尾只写一句 That's all，其实结尾是拿分点。用两三句话总结差异，再表达对文化交流的看法，立意马上就提高了。
四是注意描述的准确性。东南亚不是一个国家，每个国家情况都不同，别把泰国和印尼的习俗混在一起说，动笔前最好查一下具体国家的资料，避免常识性错误。
总体来说，写文化对比作文并不难，关键是选好角度、配好例子、用对对比词。按照上面的思路和范文多练两篇，考试遇到这类题目就完全不慌了。