Not exactly. There’s nothing in the Old Testament explicitly identifying the Serpent and Satan (Satan is first mentioned in the Book of Job), but Revelation, in the New Testament, does say that the Serpent is Satan.
As for what Jesus knew, the Gospel of John has it that he was pretty much omniscient. Whenever Jesus asks a question, John immediately jumps in to comment “He asked this merely to test His followers, since He already knew”, or something of the sort. This even extends to petty matters, such as when someone bumps into Him in a crowd, and He asks who it was. But the other three Gospels don’t attribute anywhere near the same degree of certainty to Jesus.
As for difficulty in reading the Bible, what translation did you have? The popular King James version has some beautiful language in it, but it dates from the time of Shakespeare, so it’s not exactly modern. But there are more recent translations out there, such as the Jerusalem Bible or the New International Version. And you can get copies with extensive notes, as well, which can help in understanding.