  Within a transport model using as the input nucleon momentum profiles from a
parameterized isospin-dependent single-nucleon momentum distribution with a
high momentum tail induced by short-range correlations, we employ the
$^{197}$Au + $^{197}$Au collisions at 400 MeV/nucleon to examine on one hand
effects of the short-range correlations on the pion and flow observables in
probing the nuclear symmetry energy, and on the other hand how reliable are
this isospin-dependent single-nucleon momentum distribution as well as the
corresponding parameter settings. Besides significant effects of the
short-range correlations on the pion and flow observables are observed, we also
find that the theoretical simulations of $^{197}$Au + $^{197}$Au collisions
with this momentum distribution using two sets of parameters extracted from the
experimental analysis and the self-consistent Green's function prediction,
respectively, can reproduce the neutron elliptic flows of the FOPI-LAND
experiment and the $\pi^{-}/\pi^{+}$ ratios of the FOPI experiment under the
symmetry energy setting in a certain range. Therefore, we conclude that this
parameterized isospin-dependent single-nucleon momentum distribution is
reliable for the isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter, correspondingly, two sets
of parameters extracted from both the experimental analysis and the
self-consistent Green's function prediction can not be ruled out according to
the available experimental information at present.
